29 March (Lloyd's List) - THE Cargo Incident Notification System has released the first of a series of in-depth advisory publications aimed at reducing the risks of lithium-ion batteries amid increased concerns over container fires.
The Lithium-ion Batteries in Containers Guidelines seek to provide suggestions for identifying risks and helping to ensure a safer supply chain, and covers the properties of these batteries and their potential to explode, initiate fires and emit toxic gases.
“We strongly urge all stakeholders in the production, supply, transport, handling and sale of lithium-ion batteries, whether as individual components or integrated into an electronic device, vehicle or other products, to recognise their responsibilities in maximising safety when in transit,” said CINS deputy chair Dirk Van de Velde. “Our guidelines will create greater awareness of the possibilities of the damaging and life-threatening incidents, which have already occurred, and instil more urgent motivation to act before more catastrophic disasters result.”
The guidelines contain extensive measures to safely transport what is an exponentially increasing volume of lithium-ion batteries, in their various states or charge and when also contained in electronic devices. These include classification and regulation, container packing, landside storage, stowage on board ships, incident detection and fire suppression, and loss prevention and risk mitigation.
The work has been supported by the International Group of P&I Clubs, TT Club and the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association.
Mark Smith, loss prevention executive at NorthStandard, the IG’s representative on the CINS lithium-ion battery working group, said that as the industry’s experience of transporting lithium-ion batteries evolved, risk control and loss prevention measures needed to keep pace.
“The work encapsulated in these guidelines will, of necessity, continue and be undertaken in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders to increase our knowledge and understanding of the risks posed by carriage of lithium-ion batteries in containers by sea,” he said.
A further three documents, covering regulatory compliance checklists, risk assessment and emergency response, and training and educational awareness, will follow the initial guidance.
“As the pressure on all forms of economic activity for decarbonisation increases, the use of these batteries will inevitably escalate at rates we have previously not experienced,” said TT Club risk management director Peregrine Storrs-Fox. “As an adaptable unit, the container will remain a focal point for safe transport, including for electric vehicles, alongside other vehicle carriers. The intermodal nature of containers means more actors other than shipping lines, be they manufacturers, packers, forwarders, logistics operators, warehouses and cargo handlers must all be cognisant of the safety issues we are addressing and play their part in ensuring the risks are properly managed.”
