The food-grade T11 ISO tank is the dedicated-fleet variant of the global chemical workhorse, polished and certified for food contact and never used for chemical cargo. Stolt Tank Containers operates the world’s largest food-grade fleet; Hillebrand-Gori specialises in bulk wine, spirits, and beer; Hoyer, Bertschi, Trifleet, and Newport run substantial dedicated fleets across the broader food and beverage trade. The build distinction from a chemical T11 is mechanical: polished interior to Ra under 0.8 micrometres, CIP (clean-in-place) spray balls fitted, food-grade EPDM or PTFE gaskets throughout, certificates from FDA, EU, Kosher, and Halal authorities accompanying every booking.
What food-grade T11 is built for
The cargo population is non-DG and the regulatory regime is food-contact. Bulk wine from Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, California, France, and Italy. Spirits in bulk (UN 1170 ethanol on the IMDG plate, but the actual cargo is brandy, whisky, vodka, gin shipped in dedicated wine-fleet equipment). Fruit juice concentrate (frozen orange concentrate at minus 10 deg C is the canonical reefer-tank cargo). Edible oils in heated builds (palm oil melts at 35 deg C, coconut oil at 24 deg C, beef tallow at 40 to 50 deg C). Liquid sugar and glucose syrup, heated to prevent crystallisation. Liquid chocolate at 45 deg C. Milk, cream, liquid eggs, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, coffee extract.
Construction and materials
316L stainless cylinder, polished interior to Ra under 0.8 micrometres, sometimes electropolished further to Ra under 0.4 for high-purity service. Insulation 75 to 100 mm polyurethane foam under aluminium or GRP cladding (heavier insulation than chemical T11 because food cargoes often need temperature stability through long ocean transits). Hinged manlid for hygienic access. CIP spray balls fitted with shadow-zone mapping behind any baffles. Food-grade gaskets in silicone, EPDM food-grade, or PTFE. Steam coils or glycol jacketing for cargoes that need heating.
The “dedicated fleet” rule is the key. A food-grade T11 never carries chemical cargo. The operator’s fleet management system tracks every cargo loaded into every tank; a single chemical-cargo entry on a tank’s history takes that tank out of the food-grade pool permanently. Stolt’s dedicated food-grade fleet runs around 18,000 tanks (a meaningful fraction of their ~65,000 total fleet) on this exact rule.
When food-grade T11 is the right choice
Food-grade T11 is the right tank for any bulk food cargo above ~15 to 20 tonnes per shipment where the buyer requires the FDA / EU / Kosher / Halal certification stack. Wine and spirit shippers run captive fleets through Hillebrand-Gori. Edible-oil shippers use Stolt and Hoyer dedicated fleets. Dairy in bulk (specialised lanes from New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland) ships in food-grade reefer T11 builds.
When food-grade T11 is the wrong choice
Food-grade T11 is the wrong choice when the cargo is DG (food-grade cleaning history is irrelevant for sulphuric acid). It is also the wrong choice when the operator cannot prove dedicated-fleet status: a “food-compatible” tank from a generic chemical fleet is not the same as a dedicated food-grade tank, and the certification stack is incomplete. The buyer pays food-grade rates either way; without dedicated-fleet history they have paid for less.
How a food-grade T11 booking is verified
Pre-loading inspection covers the standard plate stack (CSC, 5-year, 2.5-year) plus the food-grade documentation: FDA 21 CFR 177 declaration, EU 1935/2004 + 10/2011 conformity, USDA where applicable, Kosher (OU or Kof-K) and Halal (JAKIM, MUI, or HMC) certificates, EFTCO Food Cleaning Standard ECD covering the P15 CIP cleaning protocol with documented riboflavin or TOC swab. Dedicated-fleet history showing no chemical cargo in any prior load. Cleaning costs run higher than standard ECD: USD 600 to 1,500 for between-cargo food-grade cleaning, vs USD 200 to 600 for routine non-DG chemical cleaning.