Dry bulk transportation gets a lift

IN A merger of three of its subsidiary companies and a rebranding under the parent company name, the UK-based Interbulk is visibly strengthening its presence in the global bulk logistics and tank container markets. Interbulk – formed in 2004 – acquired United Transport Tankcontainers (UTT) and Inbulk Technologies (Inbulk) in 2006 in a reverse takeover, and in 2007 purchased Europe’s leading dry bulk logistics company by fleet size, UBC. UTT is one of the three largest companies (by total fleet size) in the world-wide tankcontainer operator market with 7 500 tank containers; while UBC has a dry box fleet of 14 500 specialist containers. Inbulk, meantime, patented the ISO-Veyor – an intermodal dense pneumatic conveying system for dry bulk transportation and storage – and offers an allin- one integrated logistics solution across road, rail and shipping freight as opposed to dedicated road and rail tankers or parcel ships. Trading under the Interbulk brand, the group’s strategy is to operate one integrated unit offering full logistics solutions for both liquid and dry bulk materials. Interbulk is represented in SA by the Cape Town-based logistics service provider, Central Logistics.