What You Need to Know About Dry Bulk Shipping, Liquid Bulk, and Break Bulk

You probably also wondered how products like pen, phones, eyeglasses and other plastic products all started. Every single such product started as either powder forms or resin pellets and those were transported via dry bulk transportation. 

The topic of dry bulk transport is vast and the methodologies of dry bulk transportation (DBT) are numerous, with each type of dry bulk playing a specific role in the market. 

For instance, iron ore is commonly found in stacks up to around 10ft tall, and natural sands can go up to 100’ tall, which makes them essentially irreversible within the overall supply chain. 

Because of this incompatibility, it becomes imperative for any dry bulk shipping company to understand exactly how its carrying-cargo operates in relation to the rest of the industry.

The market for dry bulk carriers is expected to remain robust and sustained by increasing demand for energy, raw materials and food stuff.

There continues to be a growth in the use of dry bulk vessels throughout the world. 

More than 450 dedicated bulk carriers are operated by more than 150 operators registered in more than 55 flag states working within maritime laws and regulations which differ from one country to another. 

Each country has its own maritime regulatory bodies, which issue various forms of international, national, regional and port-specific shipping requirements for different classes of vessels.

What is Dry bulk transportation/shipping?

First let’s talk about a dry bulk shipment itself.

What is a Dry Bulk shipment?

In logistics, the phrase “dry bulk” refers to a category of cargo that doesn’t contain oil or liquid products. 

A dry bulk commodity is a raw material that is shipped in large unpackaged parcels and unprocessed materials which later go through production and global manufacturing processes.

The above-mentioned and the other types of dry bulk goods are sand, gravel, slag, coal, ore, grains, bauxite and more. 

Dry bulk products are shipped using special types of carriers specifically designed to transport the specific type of goods.

These sorts of commodities are typically inert and non-hazardous. Some examples are:

Iron ore, coal, grain, metals as well as other steel products like coils, plates, rods, etc are materials classified as bulk commodities. 

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The difference between dry bulk, liquid bulk, and breakbulk shipping

There are basically three different ways you can ship cargo. Dry Bulk shipping, Liquid bulk shipping and Breakbulk shipments. These three have been around for decades. 

There is a huge difference between all of them. 

We will explain what are the characteristics and differences between all three of them.

The difference between these bulk methods is that liquid bulk transportation and breakbulk shipping uses a whole vessel, while dry bulk uses the hold of a ship for transportation.

 

Dry Bulk Transportation/Shipping.

Dry bulk transportation or shipping refers to the transportation of commodities carried in bulk. Dry bulk transportation is a process of transporting commodities that are relatively loose.

Bulk can vary on the order of particles, ounces, pounds, tons, and even feet. Dry transportation is similar to liquid bulk shipments where they are all in a closed tank.

In other words, dry bulk transportation also refers to the transportation of items that are neither gas, such as crude oil, LPG, etc., or liquid, and can be either solid or granular. 

 

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Liquid bulk is a general term to describe any liquids that are carried in bulk or general containers rather than individual containers. 

They could be described also as any liquid that is not contained in gas form. Bulk liquids are usually liquid products that cannot be transported in a conventional way, unlike powders or granules.

There are only a few liquids that fit into the bulk definition but they do include the most commonly shipped goods via sea today. These liquids include crude oil, molasses, vegetable oils, sludge, and some chemicals.

They have to be handled in specially designed bulk carriers. The most common bulk liquid transport mode is by sea, for liquids that can remain stable in water without freezing or spoiling.

They include oil products, alcohols, caustics, solvents and acids.(liquid bulk). It is the process of transporting a large amount of liquid in a large tank, mobile or stationary. 

It can be very expensive to store large tanks on site if there is no room. If you have many bulk liquids you may want to make sure that you are using a company that is rated well and that has a lot of good feedback from other customers. 

If you are trying to figure out how to ship bulk liquids and want to know more about how this is done, it is important that you look for a company that ships bulk liquids.

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In shipping, the term “break bulk” refers to a shipment with no pallet or container. 

Rather, goods are loaded into a vehicle and secured for transport. This type of load is more common with machinery and heavy industrial products like construction equipment. 

Break bulk shipments normally mean oversized and overweight products which cannot easily be handled by a normal freight service.

Another way to understand Break Bulk Shipping is that it is the transportation of non-containerized, bulk freight. This is an essential part and parcel of every maritime business. It utilizes the space in a vessel, stored in any number of ways and at a wide range of volumes. BreakBulk shipping is not to be confused with general cargo shipping or project cargo shipping industries.

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When it comes to shipping, knowing the type of goods that are being shipped and the point in the delivery process to which you want to ship the goods is crucial. 

Goods shipped in containers have become quite common when shipping. These goods arrive at a port, are loaded onto a container vessel and are then transported to another part of the world. 

This saves time compared to other transport methods, such as trucking the goods across land. However, if you need to ship a partial container load or an entire cargo that cannot be fit inside a container, a breakbulk shipment may be required.

One more thing. 

Sending cargo without any protection can be risky. 

Every country has its own set of rules and regulations when it comes to carrying goods; some require that shipments travel with customs documents, others require the use of a shipper that is sanctioned by the government. 

By using a company specializing in break-bulk shipping, you protect your goods from theft, damage, and loss.

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The break bulk cargo is transported using vessels of various sizes. The larger vessels are used to carry cargoes in bulk. Containers and gears are also used to transport the break bulk cargoes.

When movements are small and it is not worth using a container, break bulk shipments are used. Break bulk cargo is goods that are loaded piece by piece into a transport (shipping) vessel by crane. 

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