Lithium batteries again! A container caught fire at a port in Yantian! Why do lithium batteries always catch fire at ports...

After receiving the alarm, the Yantian District Fire Rescue Brigade rushed to deal with the situation. After investigation, the fire scene burned lithium batteries and other goods in the container. The fire area was about 8 square meters. There were no casualties. The cause of the fire was thermal runaway of lithium batteries. 

In daily life, lithium batteries are widely used in power tools, electric vehicles, mobile phones and other fields due to their light weight and high energy density. However, if they are not properly handled in the use, storage, and disposal links, lithium batteries will become "time bombs". 

In the past, there was a container explosion and fire at Yantian Port in 2017, and then there was a fire at the container yard of Port Klang that burned 14 containers. There seemed to be lithium batteries behind these accidents. 

In fact, as the concept of environmental protection has become a consensus among various industries, lithium batteries, as a representative of new energy, have occupied an increasingly important position in international traders and have gradually become one of the "new three" exports of China's foreign trade. But this darling of the times has a bad temper. He will spontaneously combust and even explode if he disagrees with others. This not only brings huge challenges to port operations, but also poses a threat to ships at sea.

To transport lithium batteries, you must first understand lithium batteries. According to the classification of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG CODE), the transportation of lithium batteries can be subdivided into 7 items according to the specific product types, among which UN 3090, UN 3091, UN 3480 and UN 3481 are the four most common categories. 

Specifically, lithium metal batteries (UN 3090) contain metallic lithium, which is usually non-rechargeable, and lithium-ion batteries (UN 3480) do not contain metallic lithium and can be recharged. The "equipment" mentioned in the UN3091 and UN3481 items refers to equipment that uses lithium batteries or lithium battery packs to provide power for its operation, such as lawn mowers, laptops, etc. 

It should be noted that all lithium batteries are dangerous goods and are classified as Class 9 dangerous goods. However, according to the exemption clause of 188 of IMDG 38-14 Edition, for lithium battery products that meet certain conditions, they can be transported as "general goods (non-restricted items)" as appropriate, if the corresponding certification documents are submitted and the packaging is carried out in accordance with the regulations. For example, low-power lithium battery products below 10,000 mAh are relatively safe lithium battery products. Detailed requirements are shown in the table below:

When lithium batteries are classified as Class 9 dangerous goods, they must be strictly operated in accordance with Class 9 chemical dangerous goods specifications in both storage and transportation. From the signs and markings of the container body to the signs and markings of the packages, as well as the declaration process and the review of the documents and materials are extremely strict. Taking Shanghai Port as an example, when lithium batteries are transported as Class 9 dangerous goods, they cannot enter the port directly. They need to wait in the yard for professional inspection by the dangerous goods packer, and then make a dangerous chemical declaration at the Maritime Safety Administration. After marking each box, they will finally wait for the port entry notice, and finally they will be loaded directly at the shipside. 

But the problem often lies in "discretion". Strict review processes and protective measures often mean higher time and money costs. The emergence of exemption clauses has made it easier for "small businesses", but it has also allowed dangers to take advantage of loopholes. Lithium batteries and lithium battery products are flammable, explosive and leaky. Impacts and squeezing during loading, unloading and transportation may cause battery short circuits, fires and other accidents.

Moreover, lithium batteries transported by general cargo are not forced to use refrigerated containers. In order to save transportation costs, some cargo owners will replace the goods originally transported in refrigerated containers with ordinary containers. However, Xiaoquan learned that the storage environment of lithium batteries is generally controlled within 18-25 ℃. At present, when the air conditioner has to turn on the fan, ordinary containers will be exposed to the sun in the yard. Corn kernels can be fried into popcorn with a little oil. How can lithium batteries withstand it? Isn’t it a "fire". 

Let’s not talk about natural disasters, man-made disasters are really hateful. In order to avoid high dangerous goods handling fees, some cargo owners or freight forwarders choose to conceal cargo information, resulting in the port’s inability to take appropriate safety management measures. When lithium batteries are mistakenly placed together with other flammable goods, fires are imminent.

On January 4, 2020, COSCO PACIFIC, a 10,000TEU ultra-large container ship under COSCO Shipping, was on its way from Port Klang in Malaysia to Nhava Sheva in India. Due to the concealment of lithium batteries, cabin No. 7 suddenly caught fire and smoke! Fortunately, the rescue was timely and there were no casualties. 

The concealment of dangerous goods has undoubtedly planted a time bomb for ports and ships, threatening the lives of operators and facing high penalties. According to the notice previously issued by Evergreen Shipping, the fine for concealing dangerous goods is as high as RMB 250,000 per box; ONE, Maersk, Korea Shipping and other shipping companies can be fined up to US$30,000 per box, equivalent to RMB 200,000, for concealing, falsely reporting, and misreporting dangerous goods.