22
December
2014
HYDROCARBON
ENGINEERING
SA-BIN® secure containers (Figure 1). The company needs to
know how many containers are required as well. For the
domestic customer base, SILC will arrange truckload deliveries
of empty SA-BINs; once they have been filled, the customer
will notify the firm and transport from their site to a refining
location can be arranged.
With regard to international customers, SA-BINs are
shipped directly to their processing facilities. SILC begin
working with freight forwarders to determine proper routing
as well as to obtain motor freight, rail, and/or ocean shipping
lines’ transport schedules. Transocean shipping alone is quite
complex since, for the most part, determining the best
methods for overseas shipping are based upon vessel sailing
schedules and the most efficient routing.
For incoming overseas shipments, SILC plans the inland
transportation arrangements well in advance of a vessel’s
arrival to the port of entry (POE) to minimise delays. Once the
filled SA-BINs reach the POE, the containers in which they are
shipped are unloaded from the vessel (Figure 2). By that time
inland transportation arrangements are already in place to
facilitate the delivery of the SA-BINs from the POE to one of
the company’s two US refining facilities in Williston, North
Dakota or Scottsville, New York. SILC’s staff recognise that its
customers are obviously interested in knowing the status of
their shipments while in transit so they routinely monitor their
status and provide customers with updates throughout the
transit, up to the time they are received at the company’s
refining facility.
Sometimes the whole process can take up to one year
because of the maze of requirements; however, sometimes it
can take just a month.
To speed and simplify the entire transportation chain, SILC
typically uses one or more forwarding agents who are familiar
with Sabin’s business in general, and catalyst recovery and
refining procedures in particular. These forwarders maintain a
network of agents throughout the world. On the other hand,
many times Sabin’s customers are familiar enough with local
and/or national customs regulations that they can also help
facilitate export clearance for their spent catalyst lots.
Security, safety, and
convenience
To maximise efficiency and further help streamline this
process, SILC recently introduced its unique storage/shipping
containers: SA-BINs. These are sent by SILC to customers
worldwide for securely storing their spent catalysts prior to
shipping. SA-BINs not only add convenience with regard to
storing spent precious metal bearing catalysts; they also speed
and simplify the process of unloading reactors. Plus, SA-BINs
provide security for their valuable contents. SILC handles all
arrangements for shipping SA-BINs to and from customers’
facilities.
Licensed freight brokerage
SILC, which was established in 2005, is also a licensed freight
broker. This credential allows the company to arrange for the
transport of oversize and/or overweight loads directly to its
domestic processing facilities. The company has a network of
carriers that it works with when a customer needs to have an
80 000 lb reactor sent to the Sabin Scottsville refinery, for
Figure 2.
For transocean shipping, SA-BINs are
stored inside ISO standard intermodal shipping
containers for security, safety, and ease of
handling.
Figure 1.
SA-BIN secure containers store spent
PGM bearing catalysts for fast and hassle free
shipping directly to the company's refining
facilities.
