New ruling could force switch to seafreight

The hazardous goods regulations surrounding the air transport of lithium batteries are now as hazardous for shippers as the product is defined to be. These international regulations have just changed, and compliance with the new rules became mandatory on January 1. Shippers must conform to the applicable regulations published by the International Air Transport Association (Iata) and/or the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). As long as you’re familiar with hazardous goods regulations, the rules surrounding the transport of these highly combustible batteries appear simple. Now, lithium metal batteries shipped without equipment are prohibited on passenger aircraft. While all lithium batteries are classified as hazardous materials, there are exceptions for common small sizes of these batteries that simplify the rules for shipping these items. Regulations differ depending upon what type of battery you are shipping. There are two major kinds of lithium batteries, both of which contain very high levels of energy. Lithium ion batteries are rechargeable, and are called “secondary lithium batteries”. Lithium metal batteries are generally non-rechargeable, and called “primary lithium batteries”. The regulations also differ depending on whether you are shipping batteries packed without equipment, batteries packed with equipment, or batteries contained in equipment. But the product details are extremely complex and the necessary documentation is time-consuming to comply with correctly, and marine insurance premiums for lithium battery air shipments are anything but cheap. For example, owing to the risk of carrying lithium batteries by air, a company that imports promotional products and uses consolidated express airfreight, has just informed its customer base that there is now a surcharge on all orders that include the offending products. And indeed, it even went so far as to recommend that large imports of its products should be shipped via seafreight to avoid any complications with airline regulations. CAPTION A company that imports powerbanks and uses consolidated express airfreight has now imposed a surcharge on all orders that include the offending products.