Be careful! New regulations on lithium battery transportation come into effect on April 1

According to the official (IATA) of the International Air Transport Association, IATA has revised the regulations for the separate transportation of lithium batteries, which actually came into effect on January 1, 2022, but there will be a transitional period before March 31, 2022 to comply with the new rules, and the new rules will come into effect after April 1.

This regulatory change is mainly a revision of the multi-page packaging instructions PI 965 and PI 968 of the 63rd edition of the International Air Transport Association dangerous goods regulations. The most significant impact of this dangerous goods regulation change is the deletion of PI 965 as lithium-ion cells and batteries (including mobile power sources) and PI 968 as packaging instructions for lithium metal / primary cells and batteries. This change does not affect PI 966, PI 967, PI 969 or PI 970 for Section II lithium-containing battery products. According to the provisions of part II, neither lithium-ion batteries nor lithium-metal batteries can be transported.

In this way, all shippers who ship lithium batteries themselves are required to complete the declaration, marking and labelling of dangerous goods, as well as complete training in the air transportation of dangerous goods.

Shippers of lithium batteries have become accustomed to annual changes in transport rules, while air transport rules seem to change more frequently than other modes of transport (rail, road, sea and inland waterways). The reasons for these changes include the increase in the transportation of lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are now available for everything from mobile phones to bicycles, motorcycles, drones, trucks and a variety of scientific, medical and industrial equipment.

In addition, lithium battery accidents continue to pose a threat to safety, as if the regulations are not fully met, the battery may rapidly heat up to 400 °C while releasing toxic gases. Some airlines have invested in sealing systems that can withstand lithium battery fires, but these systems are costly and add to the cost of the supply chain, which will inevitably be borne by the shipper.

From April 1st, both lithium-ion batteries and lithium-metal batteries must be declared in accordance with the terms of IA or IB. It should be noted that this rule change does not apply to lithium batteries included in equipment or lithium batteries packaged in air transportation equipment.

In addition, the ADR (Road), RID (Railway) or IMDG (Shipping) regulations remain unchanged, and special clause 188 does make it easier to use lithium-ion batteries below 100 Wh (watt-hours) and lithium-metal batteries with a total lithium metal content of less than 2 g. Differences in rules between different modes of transport reflect different risks but also increase the complexity faced by shippers many of whom use multiple modes of transport.

The practical effect of these changes is that many packages with only lithium batteries must become larger, if only to leave enough room for the hazards and handling labels and other information that must appear on each package. According to Section IA, the shipper needs two labels, and according to Section IB, two labels and one mark are required, and the labels and marks must comply with the minimum size standards stipulated in the IATA regulations.

The shipper also needs to prepare the shipper's statement for each shipment of self-shipped lithium batteries, which are subject to full acceptance by the ground handling agent, and then enter the Captain's notice, which lists the dangerous goods that have been loaded on the aircraft.

Shippers will face higher transport costs because airlines, handling agents, integrators and freight forwarders must do more to ensure compliance. Air freight rates for most aviation divisions have risen sharply as a result of the epidemic, rising fuel prices, high demand for freight capacity, and the recent Russian-Ukrainian crisis that led to the cancellation of some capacity. Sadly, more cost increases are just around the corner.

Over time, it will become increasingly clear whether this latest regulatory amendment will further improve security or cause obstacles and delays to legitimate shippers and distributors. For all participants in the supply chain, not changing lithium battery regulations for a few years will also be a welcome respite.