Railcar Seals and Tanker Security

Security seals have become a popular modern approach to protecting freight transportation against theft and tampering. The differences between seal solutions are vast, with each seal type providing different levels of security, application and print options for a specific usage. The rail industry is responsible for high-value shipping and freight containers, all of which require equal security measures to protect their contents during its transit. Specifically, the railroad industry has primarily required a tough and proven high-security Bolt Seal in order to protect their freight containers. In addition, the railcars need this bolt seal to deliver better tracking in the shipments of new railcars and trucks. A railcar security seal alone may not be effective against theft prevention in the supply chain and product tracking program. It is however one component that can be used in conjunction with other security measures to provide evidence of tampering and an overall deterrent of cargo theft. There are additional steps, however, that can be taken to reinforce their effectiveness. Cable seals are also well suited to use on rail cars. Rail tankers are often kept in high risk secluded areas for longer time periods than trucks. Plus the volume of product in a rail car is a very high risk if exposed to accidental opening, tampering by vandals, or outright theft. A cable seal might also be used to protect empty tanks or tankers after cleaning and conditioning for refilling. This will verify purity, acceptable content, and condition of a tank before filling. Security conscious firms in the oil and gas industry are transitioning to stronger sealing measures to protect points of access and operational controls. Cable Seals are the new choice of petrochemical companies worldwide, and JW Products supply a number of options for this particular security seal. The oil industry have recognised some critical points that could be a potential hazard to the safety of their company assets and people, as well as to the public. At production facilities, the most popular seal is a pull-tight seal, seen as a more moderate solution to prevent accidents and deter general tampering. For the transit of petroleum products, Metal Cable Seals are applied where there is a need to increase seal strength to protect from theft and vandalism. For transport of fuels and petrochemicals, the potential for theft or vandalism exists when tankers are left for an extended period of time in vulnerable places. Oil companies have begun to switch from indicative seals to metal barrier seals for use on their tankers in regions where fuel theft is known to occur. Another benefit of Cable Seals for tankers is their ease of installation. Tank trucks and railcars are not standardised, and some are harder than others to thread a seal into a valve or hatch closure. The cable seals are simple to thread into those hatches and valves, to fit almost any situation. Plastic seals may not be a strong enough seal to push through in some cases. You can read more about cargo and transport theft by reading our blog about Preventing Transportation and Cargo Theft. Barrier seals are the strongest and most difficult to cut open and an industrial-strength tool is needed to break the seal. Testing for this category requires resistance to high levels of pulling, bending and crushing. The best thing a freight shipper can do to ensure ISO17712 compliance is to stay informed, develop a detailed supply chain product-tracking program to prevent theft, and ensure your seals are as strong and effective as possible. The HMRC 'Acme' Bolt Seal is our best-selling bolt seal and widely used by some of the largest logistics companies in the world. It boasts ISO 17712:2013 Clause 5 and 6 certification and is accepted by worlds leading customs authorities, specifically by HM Revenue and Customs. It has a pull-strength of over 1 tonne and is sequentially numbered on the steel shaft as well as the locking body. You can see this product listed as a Group 1 Seal on the HMRC official customs seal page. This HMRC approved Bolt Seal is designed to provide the maximum protection for freight and cargo being transported via railroad carriages and trucks. It was designed as a high-security solution for the automotive and transport industry and has proven its value time after time. The hardened steel bolt ensures all attempts to break into a carriage or truck are futile as special tooling is required to remove the seals. This is particularly useful for high-value goods and the transport industry as a whole due to the fact goods cannot be easily accessed by hand during transit. For high security applications such as transporting high value cargo, we recommend using a Metal Cable Seal - 3.5mm. Our Metal Cable seal is classified as an ISO17712:2013 ‘H’ Security seal and compliant to C-TPAT regulations. The cable is made of aircraft steel which is the best quality steel in the market. Cable Seals are available in two cable diameters, being 2.5mm and 3.5mm.