LaycanDeskBitumen freight in bulk tankers and drums
Hot bulk on heated bitumen tankers at 150–160 °C, or drums, jumbo bags and bitutainers on MPP and in containers. Freight for bitumen two ways: hot bulk in insulated, heated bitumen tankers of 3,000 to 15,000 dwt from Türkiye, the Gulf and Iraq to East Africa, Sri Lanka and India, or drummed and bagged bitumen on MPP and general cargo ships and in containers for ports without heated storage.
Bitumen ships hot or it does not ship at all in bulk. A bitumen tanker carries it in insulated tanks with heating coils or thermal-oil heaters holding 150 to 160 degrees Celsius from the loading refinery to the receiving terminal, and pumps it with deep-well pumps rated for the viscosity; ships of 3,000 to 6,000 dwt serve the coastal trades and 8,000 to 15,000 dwt carriers run the Gulf and East Med to East Africa, Sri Lanka and India. Where the receiver has no heated tanks the cargo goes cold: new steel drums of 150 or 180 kg on pallets or loose, 300 kg jumbo bags, or bitutainers, loaded on MPP and general cargo ships by crane at 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes a day or shipped in containers. Drums are dense and stack well but dent, so owners ask for the packing and the stowage plan, and drummed lots of 2,000 to 8,000 tonnes are common part cargoes.
A bitumen enquiry starts with the grade, the loading refinery and the receiving side's storage, because those decide whether it is a tanker fixture or a breakbulk one. Send us grade, quantity, packing, loading refinery and berth, discharge port and its storage, laycan and the charterer's name. Bulk goes to owners of heated tonnage on that lane and pairs with our bitumen and vegetable oil tanker pages; drums go to MPP, coaster and liner operators. The refinery is asked before any owner is, and every counterparty and ship is screened first. Owners of heated tonnage send positions with heating capacity and last cargoes and hear from us only when a cargo fits.
How it ships
- Hot bulk at 150–160 °C in insulated, heated tanks
- Deep-well pumps rated for the grade
- 150/180 kg new steel drums on MPP or in containers
- 300 kg jumbo bags and bitutainers
- Drums by crane at 1,000–2,000 MT/day
Load areas
- Türkiye (Izmit, Aliaga, Iskenderun)
- Arabian Gulf (UAE, Bahrain, Oman)
- Iraq (Umm Qasr) for drums
- Singapore and Southeast Asia
Discharge areas
- East Africa (Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti)
- Sri Lanka (Colombo)
- India and Bangladesh
- West Africa by drum and container
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
Questions charterers and owners ask
Bulk or drums: which should I ask for?
Bulk on a heated tanker is cheaper per tonne and is the standard where the receiver has heated storage. Drums, jumbo bags or bitutainers on a general cargo ship or in containers reach ports that have none, at a higher landed cost and with the drums to dispose of. Tell us what the discharge side has and we quote the right one.
What does a bitumen tanker owner need to know?
The grade, because heating capacity, insulation and pump rating are matched to it; the loading refinery and berth; the receiving terminal and its heated storage; the quantity; the laycan; and the charterer. A cargo without a named refinery is not put to owners.
How are drums stowed on an MPP?
Upright, on pallets or loose, tier on tier with dunnage and lashed in the wings, or in bitutainers and containers below deck. Drums are dense, so a 5,000 tonne lot takes little space and is a common part cargo on a sailing to East or West Africa.
Which positions do bitumen stems need?
Heated bitumen carriers of 3,000 to 15,000 dwt opening in the East Med, the Gulf and the Indian Ocean, and MPP or coaster tonnage for drummed lots. Send name, IMO number, dwt, heating capacity, last cargoes, open port and dates.