New IATA regulations on the transportation of lithium batteries

1. Significant revisions to A154 to address damaged and defective lithium batteries;
2. Revision to A201 to allow for the transport, in the case of urgent medical need, of lithium batteries as cargo on a passenger aircraft with the approval of the State of origin and the approval of the operator.
3. The amendments to the special provisions include the State of the operator, as an approving authority for lithium batteries shipped under special provisions A88 and A99.
4. PI 965 to PI 970— Have been revised to:
   ● specifically reference that lithium cells or batteries identified as damaged or defective in accordance with Special Provision A154 are forbidden for transport; and
   ● in Section II identify that where there are packages from multiple packing instructions on one air waybill that the compliance statement may be combined into a single statement. Examples of such statements have been included in 8.2.7.
   PI 967 and PI 970— Have been revised to require that:
   ● equipment must be secured against movement in the outer packaging; and
   ● multiple pieces of equipment in a package must be packed to prevent damage from contact with other equipment in the package.
5. The minimum dimensions of the lithium battery mark have been revised with application of a transitional period during which the previous minimum dimensions continue to be valid.

 

Important news regarding air shipments of dangerous goods

1. New text has been added clarifying that packagings may meet more than one tested design type and may bear more than one UN specification mark.
2. The revisions to Section 6 include clarification of the size of the UN specification marks on packagings (6.0.4.1, 6.5.3.1); clarification of the application of the year of manufacture for plastic drums and jerricans (6.0.4.2.1(f)); a new provision for packagings that are tested to more than one design type (6.0.7);
3. Has been revised to clarify the height of the UN/ID number and the letters “UN” or “ID” on packages.
4. Revisions to the criteria for assignment of packing groups to corrosive substances and mixtures.
5. Addition of three new UN numbers, UN 0511, UN 0512 and UN 0513 for Detonators, electronic in
   Divisions 1.1B, 1.4B and 1.4S respectively and addition of a new proper shipping name, Dangerous goods in articles to UN 3363;
6. The Shipper's Declaration is not “attached” but rather is “associated”.
7. The requirements on how to describe multiple overpacks on the Shipper's Declaration have been revised, with an additional example provided
8. There are a number of changes, deletions and additions to the defined terms in the glossary A