Concerns raised over new airfreight safety rule for batteries

A new safety rule on transporting lithium batteries by air conceived by the US government body, the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration (PHMSA), is likely to throw a spanner in the works of the international air cargo industry. The proposed ruling goes well beyond the current international standards laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) and the International Air Transport Association (Iata). The idea will have a significant impact on not only the air cargo sector but also manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers of all electronic goods, medical devices, motor vehicles and many other products, according to The International Air Cargo Association (Tiaca). Anything that comes with lithium batteries attached – except batteries with a lithium content of less than 0.3 grams or 3.7 Watthours – will be hit. Under the new rule, such goods would have to be stowed in a crewaccessible location except if they are shipped in a Federal Aviation Association (FAA) approved container, or a Class C cargo compartment. Such a move is taking the safety element too far, and would be an unacceptable extra cost, according to a Tiaca report to the PHMSA. “Given the prevalence of lithium batteries in today’s marketplace and the substantial changes to existing procedures that would be required, the proposed rule would have a widespread adverse economic impact,” said Tiaca general-secretary, Daniel Fernandez. The reason behind the new ruling, according to Eddie Crane, MD of Durban-based dangerous goods specialists, EC Logistics, is probably because a recent aircraft accident in the US was attributed to an explosion involving lithium batteries. “When lithium leaks, and comes into contact with air, it can explode,” he told FTW. It’s a different story with sealed lead acid batteries, which, according to an SA battery supplier, would release a corrosive liquid and toxic gas, but are not classified as “explosive”. But the PHMSA proposal, Crane added, is on the agenda for a June meeting of the United Nations (UN), so it’s anything but signed-and-sealed until after that discussion. For air cargo operators in SA it’s a wait-and-see situation, according to Alwyn Rautenbach, MD of Airlink Cargo and chairman of the Air Cargo Operators' Committee (Acoc). “We go by the 2010 issue of Iata’s regulations on transporting dangerous goods by air,” he said. “This looks as though it would introduce more restrictions on lithium batteries, but we’ll have to see what the UN discussions come up with.” Tiaca says the best approach would be for PHMSA to adopt and strictly enforce Icao’s technical instructions on the safe transport of dangerous goods by air.