How to verify a tank storage receipt (TSR) or dip test
A tank storage receipt or dip test is verified with the terminal itself, through contact details you find on the terminal's official website. Check that the website and e-mail in the offer belong to that terminal. Never pay for a TSR, an ATV or a dip test before the contract.
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Storage spoofing is the practice of using copied terminal websites and documents to sell fuel that does not exist. The Port of Rotterdam's task force has blacklisted more than 1,250 domains, and deals with an offered value of EUR 2.5 billion were reported to it in 2025 (Port of Rotterdam, Feb 2026).
5 steps
- Find the terminal yourself. Search for the terminal operator and find its official website. Do not use the links or contacts in the offer.
- Compare the domains. Check that the website and e-mail in the offer are exactly the operator's domain. Lookalike domains differ by a letter, add "-terminal" or use another ending.
- Check public warning lists. Look the domain up on the storage-spoofing blacklist (storagespoofing.nl). Our free basic check does this for you.
- Ask the terminal. Contact the terminal through its official channel and ask what it can confirm about the tank and the party. Terminals often confirm stock only to the title holder.
- Compare the documents. A real TSR, ATV or dip-test report follows the operator's format and numbering. Ask the operator to confirm the reference.
Red flags
- A fee for a TSR, ATV, DTA or "storage authorisation" before the contract
- A terminal website or e-mail that is not the operator's official domain
- "Dip and pay", TTT or TTO procedures with payment first
- A Port Authority "endorsement" requested for a fee
- A terminal that cannot be found on any official port list
- Inspection by the seller only
Documents to ask for
- The TSR, ATV or dip-test report. Every page, with references, dates and the tank number.
- The terminal operator's official website and e-mail domain. Found by you, not taken from the offer.
- Proof of title or a storage contract. Showing who holds the product and since when.
- Draft contract with the inspection clause. Inspection by a surveyor you appoint, arranged under the contract.
What a sound deal looks like
In a sound storage deal the terminal is a real operator on an official port list, the documents use its domain and format, and the terminal confirms through its official channel what it can. The seller can show title or a storage contract. Inspection is arranged under a signed contract by a surveyor you appoint, and no payment is asked for to see the tank, to "authorise" a dip test or to obtain a receipt. When a terminal confirms only to the title holder, ask the seller to arrange a direct confirmation from the terminal to you, sent from the operator's domain. Keep a copy of every reply in your file.
FAQ
What is storage spoofing?
Offers that use copied or invented terminal websites and documents to sell product that is not in the tank.
Will the terminal confirm my seller's stock?
Often only to the title holder. We report exactly what the terminal could and could not confirm.
Should I pay for an ATV?
No. Payments for "authorisation to verify" or dip-test access before a contract are a common red flag.
What is the Storage & Terminal Check?
USD 199: we find the terminal independently, compare the domains and documents with the real operator, contact the terminal through its official channel and give a verdict in 2–3 working days.
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General information, not legal or financial advice. Vanguard Trade Capital Goods Wholesalers DWC-LLC, Dubai South, UAE · [email protected]