Governments must step up enforcement of dangerous goods regulations and take a tougher stance against rogue shippers. “This includes using their power to impose significant fines and custodial sentences on those violating the regulations,” said global head of cargo for the International Air Transport Association (Iata), Glyn Hughes.
Speaking at the World Cargo Symposium in Texas in the United States recently, he said that while Iata had put new global standards and regulations in place this year to ensure the safe transport of dangerous goods – including lithium batteries – misdeclared or noncompliant dangerous goods shipments continued.
“We see too many examples of abuse including mislabelling of lithium batteries,” said Hughes. Professional Aviation Services’ David Alexander said an estimated 20% of all cargo shipments contained lithium batteries. “Lithium batteries power many electronic devices, such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones. With the increasing demand for smaller devices the batteries are becoming more popular,” he said.
“When the batteries overheat because of a short circuit or are damaged due to bad handling, they can ignite and cause an explosion,” said Alexander. Some 80% of all goods shipped by air were contained in the belly of passenger aircraft, he added. “A sobering thought when you consider that you could potentially be sitting on the results of your investment into dangerous goods handling.”
Alexander said that for safety reasons, international standards applied to companies manufacturing and transporting lithium ion batteries. “This includes the fact that all lithium ion batteries must be shipped at a state of charge (SoC) not exceeding 30%of their rated design capacity.” Furthermore, the new Iata regulations call for the proper packing, labelling and documentation of lithium ion batteries.
Alexander cautioned that these stringent airfreight regulations needed to be carried through on all modes of transport. “With the congestion challenges on South African roads, a shipment will often be changed to airfreight to ensure a deadline is met. It is therefore best to always pack and label cargo for the most stringently regulated mode of transport – airfreight in this case,” he said.
Alexander suggested that additional measures be put in place such as demanding declarations from retailers on whether their goods contained lithium ion batteries. “We also need internal mechanisms to detect dangerous goods shipments,” he added.
Quote:An estimated 20% of all cargo shipments contain lithium batteries. – David Alexander
