Combined with existing ADR and RID certification for road and rail, the approval means the Omni ISO Tank can now move dangerous goods across all three modes internationally. Type approval was awarded by Germany’s Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) in June, with the support of notified body TÜV SÜD.
The tank pairs a seamless Omni Shield thermoplastic liner with a carbon fibre composite structure — the company’s proprietary Omni Tank corrosion barrier technology — offering high resistance to aggressive chemicals, long-term durability without relining, and a substantially lower tare weight than conventional steel tanks. The weight saving translates into higher payloads across all modes, with the design suitable for corrosive, toxic, oxidising, high-purity, pharmaceutical and food-grade liquids. Manufacturing takes place at OCT’s large-scale facility in Zhuhai, China.
The approval caps a regulatory journey stretching back more than a decade. When development began in 2014 under Australian parent Omni Tanker, the IMDG Code did not permit composite ISO tanks for international maritime transport at all. The company joined the UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods’ FRP working group in 2019, contributing to the development of Chapter 6.9 of the UN Model Regulations for fibre-reinforced plastic portable tanks, adopted in 2021. Those provisions entered the IMDG Code as Chapter 6.10 in 2022 and ADR/RID as Chapter 6.9 in 2023 — establishing the pathway OCT has now been first to complete.
“This approval represents a significant milestone for the global tank container industry,” said Dr Luke Djukic, director of global operations at OCT. “It validates more than a decade of engineering, testing and international collaboration, and demonstrates that advanced composite materials can deliver a safe, light-weight and durable solution for transporting dangerous goods worldwide.”
Daniel Rodgers, OCT director, CEO of Omni Tanker and inventor of the Omni Tank technology, added: “Achieving this milestone required more than developing new technology — it required helping establish the international regulatory pathway for its adoption.”
Mark Evans, OCT director and co-owner of McConaghy Boats, said the company’s investment in large-scale manufacturing meant it was “ready to supply customers worldwide with this new generation of composite ISO tank containers”.