New Warnings on Lithium Batteries in Air Cargo
February 10 2016 - 8:00AM
Dow Jones News
U.S. air-safety regulators, accident investigators and
pilot-union leaders issued separate warnings about the hazards of
shipping lithium batteries as air cargo, boosting momentum for
further international action.
Taken together, the announcements Tuesday highlight a growing
consensus that packaging and stowage safeguards for such bulk
shipments are inadequate—requiring major changes in how the power
cells are transported in cargo and passenger planes.
The latest calls for action are similar, partly because they
rely on recent laboratory tests that show modern jetliner designs
can't cope with the intense heat and explosions that can result
when relatively few lithium batteries overheat.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a bluntly worded
safety alert indicating that typical fire-suppression systems on
jetliners using halon gas are "incapable of preventing such an
explosion." The FAA also said it "strongly supports" earlier
recommendations by plane makers and expert international panels for
airlines to perform detailed risk assessments before accepting any
shipments of lithium batteries. Before transporting rechargeable
lithium batteries, according to the FAA, carriers should evaluate
the frequency and quantities of such shipments; proximity of
batteries to other dangerous goods; and accessibility of these
batteries to the crew in case of a fire.
The latest warning expands on those the agency issued five years
ago.
The action comes as the top policy-making council of the
International Civil Aviation Organization, an arm of the United
Nations, mulls various steps to tighten shipping standards. A final
decision could come quickly, according to people familiar with the
process, but there is still considerable jockeying among
participants.
At the same time, there is increasing debate on Capitol Hill
over whether to empower U.S. regulators to issue tougher
regulations than those detailed by ICAO's standards.
Also Tuesday, the PRBA-the Rechargeable Battery Association—the
leading trade association representing manufacturers of
rechargeable batteries—released a letter urging House GOP leaders
to oppose changing U.S. statutes.
International standards already bar passenger airliners from
carrying lithium-metal batteries, which aren't designed to be
recharged, as cargo. And many airlines have chosen to stop carrying
large numbers of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in the bellies
of passenger flights. Lithium batteries, packed tightly together,
can overheat or catch fire if they are damaged or experience short
circuits.
Safety experts and pilot representatives want a mandatory ban on
any lithium battery shipments on passenger aircraft. They also
favor tough, new packaging rules combined with a reduction in the
internal charge of each battery.
Last year, the PRBA agreed to the outlines of significantly
tighter fire-retardant packaging standards for airborne shipments
of such power cells world-wide.
None of the proposed restrictions would affect lithium-ion
batteries placed in carry-on baggage or contained in electronic
devices that passengers take into cabins.
The National Transportation Safety Board, going further than it
has before, urged tighter standards for the way cargo airlines
carry bulk lithium battery shipments. The board called for strict
limits on the number of batteries placed in individual shipping
containers or on pallets. The recommendations also urge separating
such packages from other dangerous goods on board.
Outside the U.S., the NTSB's recommendations are bound to
influence many national regulators. This is especially likely
because the safety board concluded that the January 2011 crash of a
Asiana Airlines cargo jet revealed "credible evidence" of
substandard standards covering lithium battery shipments. The
Boeing Co. 747 broke apart and crashed within 17 minutes of the
pilots reporting a cargo-deck fire.
The Air Line Pilots Association, North America's largest pilot
union, on Tuesday called on U.S. lawmakers to reject proposed
legislative language effectively permitting continued "shipment of
unlimited quantities of lithium batteries on passenger and cargo
aircraft." ALPA said the U.S. "should set the example and lead
international efforts" to prevent lithium-battery fires.
The same laboratory results have prompted previous media and
industry attention, but in many cases the latest language goes
further by officially laying out the dangers and formally calling
for fixes.
Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 10, 2016 07:45 ET (12:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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