The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has hinted at policy and regulatory changes to address growing concerns over the deliberate misdeclaration of cargo – particularly lithium ion batteries.David Brennan, assistant director of Cargo Safety & Standards at Iata, said the association was actively trying to improve safety and security measures to expose low-end and counterfeit lithium battery producers who were misdeclaring their goods to avoid paying extra shipping charges.“The problem we have is with your lower-end producers who are looking to save money wherever they can. They either don’t care or just lie about what they are shipping so they can avoid extra charges and the hassle of declaring their products correctly,” said Brennan. “They are the people we are after, but they are the ones who pose a challenge because if they are misdeclaring the cargo how do you locate it?”Lithium batteries have become the battery of choice for most electronic devices due to their light weight, strong power and no memory effect, replacing old nickel metal hydride batteries. However, according to Brennan, these batteries also present different risks. “Lithium metal is typically non-rechargeable and has a long shelf life, whereas lithium ion batteries are the rechargeable ones and they do self-discharge over time, so there needs to be an understanding of how long they can be in transport,” he said. These batteries were not only used in traditional electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets, but a lso in newly developed products like e-bikes, which Brennan said had only added to the problem. “You see lithium ion batteries in nearly all walks of life which makes identifying the products carrying these batteries quite a complex process,” he said. “Take e-bikes for instance, we now have people manufacturing bikes that are fitted with lithium ion batteries who have no idea how to transport these batteries. “A big problem is consumer demand, which is pushing producers in the industry to produce batteries at half the price, and in most cases at half the quality. You can go onto any e-commerce platform and purchase a lithium battery from anyone advertising there, whether they are a licensed seller or not,” said Brennan. While policy changes are on the cards, he urged shippers to declare their goods correctly to avoid any future problems.
INSERT: The problem we have is with your lower-end producers who are looking to save money wherever they can.– David Brennan