IATA wants action on "rogue" lithium battery shippers

The International Air Travel Association (IATA) has called for world governments to hold "rogue shippers" criminally responsible in the event of safety hazards accidents caused by the carriage of lithium batteries.

The organisation considers rogue shippers to be a primary safety concern, noting a "historical reluctance" to tackle the issue of unsafe transport, vice president for security Nick Careen noted in a press conference on May 11.

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Careen has called for a change in every aspect of the aerospace supply chain in order to allow for greater accountability for shippers who fail to declare dangerous goods in an air flight shipment.

He remains primarily concerned untested batteries could have regarding fire hazards and has called for greater regulations in order to minimise the risks.

“Nobody has ever been held criminally responsible for all these risks that have been introduced into our supply chain by rogue shippers,” he told the conference.

The association revealed it is to be heading a committee to investigate these issues facing the industry.

It is not just the transport of batteries that presents fire risks. The automotive sector has faced a number of fire risks and electrical faults owing to faulty batteries.

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The coronavirus pandemic has already had disastrous consequences for the travel industry, although shipping and freighting continue to make profits owing to vaccine distribution.

However, the transport and carriage of lithium batteries has always been a challenge for the industry, according to IATA's director-general Willie Walsh.

He said: “We all know how dangerous these batteries can be – they ignite – and clearly ensuring we can transport these devices safely onboard is a primary focus for IATA. A lot is going on behind the scenes."

Under the IATA's own guidelines, lithium batteries being transported must be identified and classified, and in some cases be packaged, marked, labelled and accompanied by a "Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods."

Careen told the conference that the "vast majority" of lithium-battery transporters take the necessary precautions and "do a good job" of transporting them.

He argues the rules in place are fine but more needs to be done to pursue those choosing to ignore them.

He concluded by stating the IATA does not support an outright ban on the transporting of lithium batteries.

Demand for batteries has continued to increase both as a result of the "twin transportations," as the EU calls it, referring to the endeavour towards decarbonisation as well as increased electrification and greater pushes towards digitalisation.

Lithium-ion batteries are currently used in the creation of electric vehicles and a number of "gigafactories" have sprung up in order to meet increased demand.

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Companies such as Samsung are also attempting to branch out battery technology in order to increase the applicability with other vehicle models.

There is a chance increased awareness and willingness to deal with the issues presented by transporting batteries will be required as demand continues to be driven by the digital transformation.

Aside from electric vehicles, lithium batteries see widespread use in the manufacturing of mobile phones, laptops and other electronics products, all of which have seen a demand surge owing to the pandemic.

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