Inspection houses
SGS, Intertek, Geochem and equivalent accredited laboratories, on every shipment.
About us
Sourcing is the easy half. Quality control, packing and shipping are where a drummed bitumen cargo is won or lost.
Tradelinks FZC is an international trading company based in the United Arab Emirates, managed by professionals with an experience of over two decades in trading of general commodities, drumming of bitumen products, quality control, shipping and the related coordination that moves a cargo from a refinery gate to a contractor's site.
We work through associates in each of our sourcing origins rather than at arm's length from them. That is what lets us offer grades a single refinery does not produce, verify drum condition before a container is stuffed, and tell a buyer honestly which origin suits their order and which does not.
The company maintains a very strict control on the quality of bitumen and also on the condition of drums at the time of shipment. All shipments are monitored for quality by world renowned inspection and quality control companies such as SGS, Intertek and Geochem. These companies either have their own laboratories in the region or use other accredited laboratories for checking and maintaining the quality of the product. Our customers appreciate this extra bit of personalised service that we offer.
We understand the importance of proper packing for a bitumen cargo. The product, though very viscous, can ooze out of a bitumen drum and cause a great deal of discomfort to the ship and to the contractor if the packing is not done properly. Depending on origin — and of course on the price contractors are willing to pay for their product — we choose the drums most suitable for packing the various grades of bitumen.
The normal drums are new steel drums of 0.6 mm thickness, but cargoes can also be packed in thicker drums on special request. We use this thicker-drum packing for cargoes consigned to the United Nations or to United Nations funded projects in Africa. For Saudi Arabian, Egyptian and UAE origin cargoes the ideal drums are reconditioned drums of 0.8 mm or 1.0 mm sheet thickness, because they are readily available in all these countries and are very strong for multiple handling. They are cleaned, painted and reconditioned prior to filling with bitumen, then re-checked for their condition before loading inside a container.
Shipping is a crucial element of drummed bitumen supply, because in most ports of the world drummed bitumen is a direct delivery cargo when it is shipped in breakbulk. The ports do not allow vessels to berth until documents are prepared and trucks are made available to receive the cargo on direct delivery. The shipment therefore requires a great deal of coordination and personal follow-up on a regular basis. We have understandings with shipping agents based in Africa and the Middle East so that timely shipment can be made to the various ports.
The other mode of shipment is drums stuffed into 20' containers. This is useful for supplies from the Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, and when small quantities have to be shipped regularly rather than in one large lot. Breakbulk shipments are usually in lots of about 6,000 mtons or more, while containerised shipments can be very small lots. We have extensive experience in the shipping of bitumen in drums and can therefore recommend the most appropriate mode of shipment to the client at all times. The intention is to ensure a timely, smooth shipment with the least possible risk of demurrage at the discharge port.
SGS, Intertek, Geochem and equivalent accredited laboratories, on every shipment.
New steel 0.6 mm as standard; thicker drums on request; reconditioned 0.8–1.0 mm for Gulf, Saudi and Egyptian origin.
Breakbulk from roughly 6,000 mtons, or drums stuffed in 20' containers for smaller and repeat lots.
We will come back with origin options, packing, a shipment mode and an indicative timeline.