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Storage, tank capacity and logistics

Finding tank capacity is often the thing standing between a deal and no deal. We have long-standing contacts on the terminal side and we use them.

We help counterparties find tank storage, using terminal contacts built over years. On when it matters: storage is usually the thing holding a deal up rather than price, and a seller who can name a tank is in a different conversation from one who cannot. On freight, we arrange flexitanks, isotanks and containers through forwarding partners and we make the introduction rather than marking up their invoice, so you see the quote they gave.

From tank to receiving terminal
  1. 1Product in tank
  2. 2Nomination and scheduling
  3. 3Loading and sampling
  4. 4Voyage or road leg
  5. 5Discharge and outturn

Demurrage and quality disputes both start at the sampling step, which is why who samples and to which method belongs in the contract, not in an e-mail.

Why storage decides deals

A surprising number of trades die not on price but on the absence of a tank. A seller with product and no home for it discounts; a buyer with demand and no capacity cannot lift. In waste-based feedstocks the problem is sharper than in conventional oil products for three reasons.

  • Certification. For material moving in the biofuel chain, the storage point usually has to sit inside a certified chain of custody. An ISCC certified tank is a much smaller universe than a tank.
  • Heating and product compatibility. High-titre tallow, palm stearin and many fats need heated storage. Previous-cargo restrictions narrow the list again, and for some material a dedicated tank is the only honest answer.
  • Segregation versus mass balance. Whether the product must be physically segregated or can sit in a mass balance system changes both the cost and the list of terminals that can take it.

How these products actually move, and who moves them

Most sellers underestimate this part, and it is where a good price turns into a bad month. The mode is decided by volume, temperature and the receiving terminal, not by preference.

The four ways product in these markets normally travels, and what each one demands of you.
ModeWhen it fitsWhat decides it
ISO tank container20 to 26 tonnes, deep sea or short seaHeating coils if the product has a titre. Cleaning certificate for the previous cargo. Availability of the right tank type in the right port
FlexitankAround 20 tonnes, one-way, cheaper than an ISO tankNo heating. A high-titre fat in a flexitank in winter is a salvage job. Also single use, so it suits one-off and trial cargoes
Bulk road tanker25 to 30 tonnes within EuropeHeated and insulated for fats. The previous three loads matter: a food-grade or feed-grade destination will demand that record
Parcel tanker / bargeFrom a few hundred tonnes upwardsTerminal slots, shore tank availability and the loading window. The cheapest per tonne and the least forgiving on timing

We do not own trucks, tanks or ships, and we do not want to. We work with established European forwarders and bulk hauliers, and we introduce them rather than invoicing their work through us. You see the quote they gave, not a marked-up version of it. That matters more than it sounds: a broker who makes money on freight has a reason to prefer the wrong mode.

For anything crossing a border there is a second layer beyond the truck: the waste classification, the receiving installation's permit, and for animal by-products the establishment approval and the border control post. Ask us before the vessel is fixed rather than after. See storage and logistics and Annex IX feedstocks.

What we can help with

  • Finding capacity for biofuels, waste-based feedstocks, vegetable and technical oils, glycerine and chemicals.
  • Heated and specialised storage, including for high-titre fats and products with previous-cargo restrictions.
  • Certified storage where the chain of custody has to be maintained.
  • Short-term and transit storage for cargoes in motion, including distressed parcels that need somewhere to go quickly: see off-spec and distressed cargoes.
  • Freight optimisation: intermodal routing, bulk versus container, flexitank versus isotank, and the parcel size that actually works for a given lane.
  • Supply chain analysis where the question is not one shipment but whether a route makes sense at all.

How do I actually find tank storage in ARA?

You call people who already know which tanks are free, because there is no public list. Terminals do not publish availability, capacity turns over quietly between existing customers, and by the time something appears on a website it is usually gone.

That is the whole reason this service exists. What we do is short-circuit the part where you email fifteen terminals and hear back from four of them in three weeks.

  • Give us the product, the volume, the window and the temperature. With those four we can make useful calls the same day. Without them we are asking terminals a vague question and they deprioritise it.
  • Say early if certification has to be maintained. ISCC certified capacity is a much smaller universe than capacity, and finding out at the end that the tank cannot hold your chain of custody wastes everyone a fortnight.
  • Be honest about throughput. Terminals often care more about turns per year than about tonnage, because a tank that fills and empties six times earns them more than one that sits full. A modest volume with good throughput is a more attractive customer than a large volume that never moves.
  • Expect to compromise on location before you compromise on tank type. Heated capacity for high-titre fats in a specific port on a specific date is sometimes simply not there, and a terminal an hour further out with the right heating usually beats waiting.
  • Ask about previous cargo. For anything food-adjacent or specification-sensitive, the tank's history matters as much as its size.

What to tell us

The information that lets us make useful calls rather than general enquiries.
ProductIncluding whether it is classified as a waste and whether it is hazardous.
Volume and tank sizeTotal tonnes and the working parcel size.
LocationPreferred port or range, and how much flexibility there is.
DurationSpot, transit, seasonal or term. Terminals price these very differently.
TemperatureAmbient or heated, and the temperature to be maintained.
CertificationWhether ISCC or another certified chain of custody must be maintained through storage.
SegregationDedicated tank, segregated, or mass balance acceptable.
ThroughputExpected turns per year. This often matters more to a terminal than the tonnage.
TimingWhen capacity is needed. Lead times are long and getting longer.

How we work

We are a broker, not a terminal operator and not a freight forwarder. What we bring is the contacts and the sense of who actually has space for what, which saves a great deal of calling around. The commercial relationship is between you and the terminal.

We are equally willing to say when the answer is no. Capacity for some products in some locations simply is not available at any sensible price, and telling you that in week one is more useful than a month of hopeful enquiries.

Tankage by product: diesel, Jet A-1, SAF, HVO and the heated ones

Not every tank can take every product, and the differences are exactly where bookings fail. This is what we match against when we go looking for capacity on your behalf.

What each product needs from a tank, and what usually screens the booking. Confirm tank history and coating with the terminal before fixing a nomination.
Gasoil and diesel (EN 590)Unheated standard cargo tanks, clean coating, water-tightTank history: a tank recently on B100 or FAME puts renewable content into a diesel cargo, and the specification does not forgive it
HVO and renewable dieselUnheated, diesel-like handlingFAME contamination again: EN 15940 leaves no room for it, so terminal line history is checked before the cargo is
Jet A-1Certified jet tankage with dedicated lines and filtration, microseparation, careful conductivity handling after additivesAny cross-contamination means re-certification of the whole parcel; specification per ASTM D1655 or DefStan 91-091
SAF (HEFA-SPK)Drop-in with conventional jet: storage and blending can be sharedSegregation is mostly documentary under mass balance, but the blending paperwork and the certified boundary must be in order before the truck rolls
UCO, tallow, POME and other feedstocksHeated tankage with insulation, temperature management throughoutTemperature at discharge: a feedstock that has set in the tank costs days, not degrees
Pyrolysis oilHeated and insulated, sometimes nitrogen blanketed, material-compatible liningStability over time and compatibility with what sat in the tank before it

The pattern is simple to state and easy to get wrong: diesel, HVO and Jet A-1 want clean and unheated, feedstocks want heat, and pyrolysis oil wants heat and patience. SAF is the polite exception, because it behaves like the jet it blends into and the complexity sits in the mass balance documents rather than in the tank. Tell us the product, the volume and the window, and we will come back with capacity that actually fits it, not just capacity that exists.

Frequently asked questions

Can you find storage for diesel, Jet A-1 or SAF as well, or only feedstocks?

All of it. Clean unheated tankage for diesel and HVO, certified jet capacity with dedicated filtration for Jet A-1, and SAF that blends into conventional jet under mass balance. The same terminal contacts that find heated feedstock capacity find the clean tanks; what changes is the tank history and specification checks we run before a booking.

Do I need heated storage for my cargo?

For animal fats and tallow, almost certainly: titre is typically 38 to 44 C and the material solidifies below it. Palm and palm stearin also need heat in a temperate climate. Vegetable oils and used cooking oil usually do not, though UCO thickens in cold weather. The number to ask for is titre or cloud point, not a general opinion.

What goes wrong most often in the logistics of these products?

Solidification in an unheated tank or flexitank, and it is nearly always avoidable. The second is a mismatch between the analysis basis and the settlement basis, mass against volume, which matters most for HVO because its density is around 780 kg/m3 against roughly 835 for diesel. Both are cheap to prevent and expensive to fix.

Do you mark up freight?

No. We introduce forwarders and inspection companies rather than invoicing their work through us, so you see the quote they gave. We are paid a commission on business that concludes, which is also why we are still reachable when a discharge analysis comes back wrong.

Can you find tank storage for us?

Yes. We help counterparties find tank capacity for biofuels, waste-based feedstocks, vegetable and technical oils, glycerine and chemicals, using long-standing terminal contacts. We are a broker rather than a terminal operator, so the commercial relationship is between you and the terminal.

Do you have access to ISCC certified storage?

We can approach terminals with certified capability. Whether a certified tank is available for your product, volume and window is a separate question, and certified capacity is materially scarcer than ordinary capacity. Tell us early that certification has to be maintained, because it changes the list of options entirely.

Can you arrange heated storage?

We can look for it. Heated capacity for high-titre fats, palm stearin and similar products is genuinely tight in most European hubs, and previous-cargo restrictions narrow it further. Give us the titre and the required maintenance temperature at the start rather than at the booking stage.

Do you handle freight as well?

We advise on freight optimisation and supply chain analysis: intermodal routing, bulk versus container, flexitank versus isotank, and the parcel size that works for a given lane. We are not a freight forwarder and do not issue bills of lading.

What if I need storage urgently for a cargo that has been rejected?

Tell us immediately, because that situation is time-critical and the options narrow every day. Short-term and transit storage for distressed parcels is something we deal with regularly alongside placing the material itself.

How do I find tank storage in Rotterdam, Antwerp or Amsterdam?

Through people who already know what is free, because there is no public list. Terminals do not publish availability and capacity turns over quietly between existing customers. Give us the product, the volume, the window and the required temperature and we can make useful calls the same day. That is faster than emailing fifteen terminals and hearing back from four.

What information does a terminal need before quoting?

Product and whether it is classified as waste or hazardous, volume and working parcel size, location flexibility, duration, temperature, whether a certified chain of custody must be maintained, whether segregation is required, expected throughput in turns per year, and your timing. Throughput often matters more to a terminal than tonnage, because a tank that turns six times a year earns more than one that sits full.

Can you find storage at short notice for a rejected cargo?

That is one of the situations we deal with most, and speed matters more than price because demurrage and detention run continuously. Tell us immediately rather than after a week of trying: the options narrow every day and short-term transit capacity gets taken.

Where do you have terminal contacts?

Principally the ARA range, where most of this product moves, alongside other European hubs and, through our team and partners, further afield. Tell us the product and the range and we will say honestly whether we can help.

Market news

The most recent headlines touching this market, followed by wider news from across the feedstock and renewable fuel sector. The links go to the publisher; we do not host or edit their reporting, and a headline here is not our endorsement of it. Scroll for more.

18 headlines, updated automatically. Last refreshed .

Sources and further reading

Primary sources for the rules and figures on this page, so you can check them yourself. Legislation is amended: always read the consolidated text on the date that matters to you.

Who to ask about Storage & tank capacity

Just ask. Need tank capacity, heated storage or an ISCC-certified tank? Tell us the product, the volume and the window. You get Bart van den Brug on the other end, same working day, in English or Dutch, and across the team also in French, Portuguese, Polish, Czech and Russian.

On how we work: on the feedstocks and fuels on this site we are a broker. We never take title, we do not trade our own book, and we are paid a commission on business that concludes. Additives are the one exception: those we also buy and sell for our own account, and we say in which capacity we are acting before you commit to anything. Either way you will hear it from us when the answer is no, or when your parcel is not ready for the conversation you want to have. A market read or a second opinion on a specification costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Happy to look at whatever you have, even if it is half an analysis and a question.

+31 6 115 83 448
bart@sustainablecommodities.eu
Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V., Lemmer, the Netherlands

Ask about Storage & tank capacity

Specification, volume, location and certification are enough to start.

Or e-mail us directly: bart@sustainablecommodities.eu

Last reviewed 08 September 2026. Regulatory references are given for orientation and are not legal advice: verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.