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Federal officials are poised to substantially tighten restrictions on transporting lithium batteries in US cargo planes, according to people familiar with the details, after an apparent cargo fire resulted in the crash of a United Parcel Service (UPS) jet in Dubai, reported Dow Jones Newswires.
The move, which would affect nearly all US cargo carriers, could also force manufacturers and distributors of consumer electronics to alter their packaging and documentation procedures. Lithium batteries are used in a wide array of electronic devices, such as cell phones and laptop computers.
The urgency of the new restrictions, which people familiar with the matter expect to be announced shortly, appear to be a response to signs that lithium batteries may have stoked the intense fire and dense smoke that filled the cockpit of the UPS Boeing 747 jumbo jet before it went down on September 3, while trying to return to Dubai International Airport.
Both pilots died in the accident, which has revived debate over the fire hazards of lithium batteries. They can burn intensely, and once on fire can be particularly difficult to extinguish.
By requiring special packaging and other safeguards for lithium batteries and products containing them, the new restrictions would resolve long-running disputes between some airline-industry officials and pilot groups over the dangers posed by such cargo.
It will likely be increasingly difficult to ship large volumes of batteries, by themselves, on a single plane, according to the people familiar with the details.
Investigators haven't yet revealed details of the Boeing 747's cargo or the official cause of the crash. But people familiar with the details said the flight, which originated in Hong Kong and then stopped in Dubai on the way to Cologne, Germany, had large amounts of consumer electronics aboard.
The extent of the fire may make it impossible for investigators to conclusively determine where and how it broke out.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)
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