Prihláste sa na odber noviniek
One of the commodities on rails less known to the public is cooking oils. The war in Ukraine also meant redirecting the flow of these goods, and ZSSK CARGO was well prepared for this change thanks to its pumping complex in Čierna nad Tisou.
The risks associated with the transfer of combined transport units to Ukraine during the ongoing conflict on its territory do not yet allow for the full development of the possibilities of intermodal transport flows beyond Slovakia's eastern border. Here the goods have to be transshipped, due to wider gauge of the railways in Ukraine compared to Slovak one. The only option is the transshipment of goods - for which the East Slovak Transhipment Yards and the company Bulk Transshipment Slovakia are used.
In addition to dominant bulk substrates such as iron ore, transshipment volume of grains and oilseeds has increased rapidly over the past year. But the latter come to Slovakia's eastern border not only as grains, but also as finished cooking oils for further processing.
Cooking Oils on Rails
The fertile black soil of Ukraine provides ideal conditions for growing not only cereals such as wheat and corn, but also oilseeds. It is dominated by sunflower, where Ukraine produces up to 46% of the total crop on our planet. As a result, it is also the largest exporter of this commodity. Ukraine is also the world's third largest exporter of rapeseed oil. These agricultural products are exported both in the form of grain and finished cooking oils. Without them, practically all bakeries, restaurants, animal feed factories, but also kitchens in ordinary households would come to a standstill.
Cooking oil is one of the basic ingredients that we use in a large number of dishes every day. This is also why the supply of cooking oils is a logistics branch that is very specific, but essential for the survival of any society. With Ukraine unable to route much of its exports by sea due to port restrictions, buyers, especially those in Europe, have turned to the railways, as they did for grains. And ZSSK CARGO has a lot to offer in this regard.
Pumping Terminal in Čierna nad Tisou
In 2009, a significant modernization of the pumping terminal in Čierna nad Tisou (in the east of Slovakia at the border with Ukraine) was completed. Today, this terminal meets all the demanding criteria of environmental legislation. A modern and ecological complex was thus created on the border of Ukraine with the European Union, which enables liquids to be pumped from broad gauge wagons to standard gauge wagons. The roofed pumping complex has two tracks for each gauge. Its systems include vapor recovery and elimination of their escape into the air. Depending on the type of liquid, they can pump up to 500 m3 every hour, which is equivalent to almost 7 wagons of the Zacens category. In terms of capacity, the pumping terminal is built for the simultaneous pumping of 8 tank cars on both gauges. The entire system is rigorously monitored and wagons on both gauges are weighed both at the entrance and at the exit to the terminal. All data are sent to the central information system of ZSSK CARGO.
The cooking oils pumping branch is the most expensive branch of the entire complex in Čierna nad Tisou. It is made in stainless steel designed for food products, including the pump. ZSSK CARGO also has a valid certificate for pumping cooking oils. This branch was not used for a long time, but the situation in Ukraine and the demands of the market meant a new opportunity to start pumping this commodity as well.
Oils for Italy
Cooking oils from Ukraine have also found their customers in the northeast of the Apennine Peninsula. Local companies further process them mainly for the needs of the food industry and animal nutrition, but also in the field of biotechnology and energy. At the end of November 2022, ZSSK CARGO, in cooperation with foreign partners, started the first shipments of sunflower oil for these customers.
By the end of February, eight unit trains and 181 wagons fully loaded with sunflower oil have already been dispatched. ZSSK CARGO ensured not only transshipment in the pumping terminal, but also the movement and assembly of wagons into a unit train at the Čierna nad Tisou station. Subsequently, it also provides traction on the Slovak section, before the train is handed over to our foreign partners at the Čaňa / Hidasnémeti border station.
How You Can Use the Possibilities of Pumping Liquids
The pumping terminal in Čierna nad Tisou can be used for a wider range of pumped liquids. The possibilities here are divided into six groups: in addition to cooking oils, there are also alcohol derivatives, technical oils, acetates and the BTX group (benzenes, toluenes, xylenes). This can be done both ways, i.e. for import to the EU and export to Ukraine.
If you are interested in transport of cooking oils, contact the commodity manager for foodstuff at ZSSK CARGO, Denisa Peléšková, at +421 903 763 023 or at peleskova.denisa@zscargo.sk. If you are interested in transporting chemical products, call or write to ZSSK CARGO commodity manager for chemistry and petroleum products, Zuzana Korušiak Vargová at +421 910 782 538 or at vargova.zuzana@zscargo.sk.
Alternatively, you can contact us every day from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at our customer center on +421 55 229 5513 / 5519 or by email at infoservis@zscargo.sk.
