A recent one”mishap” at Hong Kong airport sounded like a wake-up call for the air cargo industry. The case involved lithium ion batteries present in electronic cigarettes, which were to be carried on a Lufthansa plane. It caused a healthy awareness: the precautions to be taken for the transport of dangerous goods require extreme vigilance. And as regulations are complex and fluctuating, it is best to seek support to avoid taking unnecessary risks.
Required tests and documents
Lithium batteries are rightly considered to be dangerous goods to be transported by air. Indeed, they present a risk of explosion, especially when they are of poor quality. For an importer, they are therefore a major source of administrative and logistical complexity.
When importing goods containing lithium batteries, it is essential to verify that the supplier is in a position to provide all the documents and certificates needed. Because it's there responsibility of the importer who is engaged legally in case of an incident. It is therefore necessary to check with the supplier that the batteries were produced in accordance with standards fixed by the IATA DGR And that the good safety tests have been successfully completed.
The different types of lithium batteries
When importing electronic products from China by air, you must first be concerned about the type of batteries or batteries present in the shipment: lithium metal batteries or lithium ion batteries.
- Les lithium metal batteries are used for cameras, certain toys, watches, calculators or GPS beacons...
- Les lithium ion batteries are generally rechargeable and are present in smartphones, laptops, electric bikes or electric scooters...
When it comes to air cargo, safety regulations are specific to each lithium battery category and depend on the energy they contain. (It would be too complex to detail them in this article. It is best to Contact directly an expert to inform you.) But to summarize:
- If lithium batteries are shipped Alone, separately from electronic devices, then it is proscribed to transport them in the hold of airliners carrying passengers (“CAO” = “Cargo Aircraft Only”).
- If they are included in the devices or packaged with at the time of the expedition, then this implies that the stress tests have been more extensive and the air transport in airliners is permitted (“OK PAX”), with quantity limitations.
The importance of packaging and labelling
When it comes to lithium batteries, packaging and labelling rules are extremely complex and restrictive.
All shipments must have a Class 9 (“dangerous goods”) label indicating that the package contains lithium batteries, that it must be handled with care, and that it presents a risk of flammability. The label should also mention, among other things, the special procedures to be implemented in the event of damage.
Lithium batteries or cells must be packed in such a way as to protect them from short circuits. This guide provided by UPS gives an idea of the complexity of this procedure.
The particular case of airports in China
Some airports and airlines have put in place their own safety regulations, which are even more stringent than international regulations.
Les Airports in China all have different requirements. Some (Guangzhou, Shenzhen) are extremely strict and tend to refuse the shipment of lithium batteries. Others require specific documents, such as the one from Shanghai, which requires a certificate provided exclusively by the “Shanghai Research Institute of Chemical Industry”. In the end, it is the airport of Hong Kong which remains the least restrictive.
How do you find your way around all this?
The air transport of lithium batteries requires a certain degree of rigor. For this type of dangerous goods, it is very complicated to work directly with carriers. The classification of lithium cells and batteries is not as basic as it seems, safety data sheets (MSDS) are sometimes incomplete...
In summary, it is better to be accompanied by a freight forwarder, with serious and reliable partners on site, in China. This way, no risks are taken — and no excessive care is taken when the shipment should not be considered dangerous. It is therefore the best way to save money, save time and avoid incidents.
