The Danish shipping company Maersk has announced that it will take on the withdrawal, destruction, and recycling of the flexitanks installed in import containers at the ports of Puerto de Algeciras, Puerto de Valencia, and Puerto de Barcelona. The measure entails the application of a fixed surcharge of 695 euros per container.
The decision, which affects imports that use this bulk liquid transport system, comes into effect on February 18, 2026, for the so-called 'non-regulated countries.' In the case of Vietnam, the effective date will be March 5, while for the 'regulated countries' it will start to apply on March 21.
With this change, the company centralizes a process that previously fell on the importers, who had to coordinate the product discharge, the manual removal of the flexitank, its transport, and its subsequent destruction or recycling by specialized operators. This management involved variable costs, additional wait times, and administrative procedures associated with the handling of industrial plastic waste.
A flexitank is a large flexible bag made of plastic material that is installed inside a standard 20-foot maritime container for transporting non-dangerous bulk liquids, such as edible oils, wines, musts, juices, chemicals, or certain pharmaceutical items. This system allows optimizing load capacity compared to the use of drums or intermediate containers, reducing handling and the use of specialized tankers.
In the traffic arriving at the main Spanish ports from Asia and America, the use of flexitanks is common, especially in sectors like agri-food and chemicals. In the case of the Port of Algeciras, this type of operation has a significant presence in certain logistics chains linked to the import of bulk liquid products.
According to the communication conveyed by the shipping company, the centralization of the service aims to simplify the supply chain, improve the traceability of the process, and ensure that the withdrawal and destruction of the flexitank are carried out in accordance with applicable technical and safety standards. The company thus takes on the comprehensive coordination of the operation, from the removal of the bag to its final treatment as waste.
The new model implies that the customer will only need to indicate the discharge point and provide the order delivery details, leaving the rest of the process under the direct management of the shipping company. From the operational perspective, the measure may help to reduce container stay times at the terminal by eliminating the need to coordinate with third parties for the removal of plastic material once the product has been discharged.
However, the implementation of the fixed surcharge of 695 euros per unit represents a direct increase in import costs for shippers. While in large volume operations this amount can be integrated into established logistical structures, for small and medium-sized enterprises, the impact may be more significant, especially in smaller scale shipments.
The measure occurs in a context of increasing attention to waste management and the reduction of the environmental footprint in logistics chains. The proper destruction and recycling of flexitanks, made primarily from multilayer plastic materials, require specific processes for their treatment in accordance with current environmental regulations.
From the port perspective, the assumption of this service by the shipping company can help standardize procedures in high-traffic locations such as Algeciras, Valencia, and Barcelona, where container rotation and space optimization are determining factors for operational efficiency.
The staggered application of the measure based on the origin of the goods responds to the different regulatory frameworks affecting international trade and the management of waste associated with imports. Thus, Maersk adapts the implementation of the service to the regulatory particularities of each group of countries.
In this scenario, the importing sector will need to assess the economic and operational impact of the new tariff structure, as well as the potential advantages derived from the complete outsourcing of the withdrawal and treatment of flexitanks at the main Spanish ports.