In today’s edition of the US Federal Register, the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a final rule under Docket # PHMSA-2011-0143 (HM-253), RIN 2137-AE82 under which the agency sets forth specific rules to regulate the transport of materials under the so-called “Reverse Logistics” principle. This function…
IMO Container Weight Verification Deadline Approaches
The International Maritime Organization‘s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) at its 93rd session in May 2014, approved changes to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention regarding a mandatory container weight verification requirement on shippers. The Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargo and Containers (DSC) Sub-committee approved changes to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)…
How to ship lithium batteries by air—as of April 1, 2016
Have you seen all the headlines lately about shipping lithium batteries by air? How are you supposed to keep up with what’s compliant, and what isn’t? Here’s a guide to the lithium battery air transport regulations which will be effective on the 1st of April, along with a preview of what might be expected later…
Addendum 4 and Supplement Addendum to the 2015-2016 ICAO Technical Instructions
2015-2016 ICAO TI Addendum 4: Doc 9284-2015-2016.ADD-4.en Supplement Addendum: Doc 9284SUP-ADDENDUM.en
FAA Reauthorization Legislation Focused on Lithium Batteries
Bob Richard and Neil McCulloch co-contributed to this article. When a US Senator proposes to spend tax dollars on a committee to “promote research and new standards for the safe manufacture, use or transportation of lithium batteries,” I can only sigh in frustration. This is exactly what was recently proposed by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.. …
DG Advisory Council tries to make sense of lithium battery provisions
Why would anyone choose to spend three days in Washington a few days after the city was shut down for the Storm of the Decade? That’s what 70 or so DG experts asked ourselves, before we got down to the serious business of the Dangerous Goods Advisory Council January quarterly meeting in Alexandria last week.…
Banning lithium battery cargo from commercial aircraft hurts supply chains
Update as of 2/23/2016: ICAO Approves ANC’s recommendations to prohit the carriage of UN 3480 on passenger aircraft http://www.icao.int/safety/DangerousGoods/Pages/DGP25-Report.aspx Rule goes into effect on April 1, 2016. IATA published an update to their document titled “Lithium Batteries as Cargo in 2016” to inform lithium battery shippers of the pending ban of lithium batteries on passenger aircraft. On…
ICAO Panel Moves to Ban Lithium Ion Battery Transport from Passenger Aircraft
ICAO’s Air Navigation Commission (ANC) has completed its review of the Dangerous Goods Panel’s 25th meeting and will be recommending to the Governing Council of ICAO that Lithium Ion batteries be prohibited from transport on passenger aircraft. The conclusion of the Commission was that the risks of these batteries in flight was currently “not adequately…
Federal Register publishes HM-233F revisions to the HMR
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) yesterday published the newest rulemaking under its HM-233 Docket family. This incorporates various aspects of previously issued Special Permits (SP’s) into the body of the regulations. Specials Permits are administrative actions that grant specific users permission to do something outside of…
IATA DGR Update: Everything you know about lithium battery shipping may change
Shippers are still coming to grips with the recent International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) addendum, which among other changes, established the first-ever state-of-charge limitation on air transport of lithium batteries. Then, on Saturday, January 16th, the International Air transport Association (IATA) released an addendum to 57th edition of the Dangerous Goods Regulations, commonly referred to as…