International transport: the thorny case of lithium batteries

At the end of July 2018, from Barcelona, an external telephone battery starts burning inside a passenger plane... An incident without gravity since it occurred on take-off, but which recalls that this object became very common in our daily life is far from harmless.

In fact, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries or cells are classified as « Dangerous Goods », their transport is therefore regulated by strict regulations in order to limit the risks(quantity, packaging, labelling, documentation) and cannot be considered as a standard package shipment:Standard postal services, unplanned vehicles or public transport are strictly prohibited!

As a shipper, the company sponsoring the transport (shipper) is considered responsible and must comply with all applicable regulations.

The regulation to be applied for lithium batteries depends on the mode of transport used :

• Road transport
  Regulation mainly concernedADR or Agreement on the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road.
  It is a European agreement signed by 48 countries.
  Following the amendments which entered into force on 1 January 2017, a revised consolidated version (« ADR 2017« ) was issued as ECE/TRANS/257, Vol. I and II.
• Air transportation
  These are the Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) of lInternational Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)which are applicable in respect of air cargo.
  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published a specific guide for shippers referring to airlines: Lithium Battery Shipping Guidelines (LBSG).
• Maritime transport
  TheIMDG code (International Maritime Dangerous Goods) is published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
  The 2016 edition of the IMDG Code (Amendment 38-16) entered into force on^andJanuary 2018, for a period of two years.
  The 2018 edition (Amendment 39-18) will come into force on 1^andJanuary 2020, but can be applied on a voluntary basis from 1 January 2020.^andJanuary 2019.

The right questions

Lithium-ion or Lithium-metal?

Unlike lithium ion (or lithium polymer) batteries, lithium metal batteries are usually non-rechargeable (cells). « button ») : they are mainly used in small electronic devices with low energy consumption (watches, calculators, toys, etc.).

NB: for lithium metal batteriesaviation regulationsapplies differently depending on the amount (weight) of lithium contained.

Cells or batteries?

TheLi-ion batteriesshould not be confused withLithium batteries(ion or metal) which are not rechargeable. Confusion is maintained by the English term « battery » which means an electric battery whereas in French the term « battery » is used to generally designate a « battery electric accumulators ».

What conditioning?

1. The packagecontains only batteries/batteries
2. Batteries are sent with equipment
3. The batteries are contained in the equipment

What power?

Most regulations concerning lithium ion cells/batteries take into account theirnominal energy in watt-hours(Wh): If this information is not indicated on the cell/battery envelope, it will be necessary to approach the manufacturer.

What else?

The number of batteries/cells, the number of packages constituting shipment, the overall weight and/or the individual weight of each battery, etc... may be included in the acceptance or refusal criteria set up by certain transport or courier companies. Therefore, the consignor or freight forwarder has every interest in informing the carrier directly of the validate the conformity of the shipment before the initiation of the operations.

Important: in the case of multimodal transport (involving different types of transport),It is the main transport which determines the regulations to be observed !

In addition, national constraints or restrictions may add to international regulations: do not forget to check the conditions of transport specific to the countries of transit and/or destination !