Korea seeks to avoid US anti-lithium battery air cargo ban

SOUTH KOREAN officials are visiting Washington to prevent the introduction of rules in the US on lithium-ion battery shipments that major Asian exporters fear will cost them hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

The US Department of Transportation intends to tighten existing rules on how such batteries and the devices containing them are transported on board air freighters amid concerns the products may catch fire mid-flight and cause the plane to crash, reports Agence France-Presse.

The proposed regulations, being reviewed by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Rules, require shippers to treat cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices as hazardous material and absorb added costs accompanying compliance.

The industry representatives from Seoul include those from Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, said Park Young-Sam, an official in charge of the matter.

"More than 4,000 air shipments of lithium-ion batteries are made every year from South Korea, but none of them has experienced any explosion," he was quoted as saying. He said the proposed change would cost technology companies about US$300 million a year to cover extra insurance and new shipping requirements.

South Korea's Knowledge Economy Ministry claimed that there was no major problem with the existing rules imposed by the United Nations and the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

It said Japan, China and European Union have also expressed opposition to the rules proposed by the US, noting they are raising the issue with the World Trade Organisation.

According to earlier comments from US aviation authorities, lithium batteries may have played a role in the crash of a US cargo plane in the United Arab Emirates in September. The report said the United Parcel Service Boeing 747-400 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Dubai and crashed, killing its two crew members.

In a safety alert for operators, DOT said the batteries are "highly flammable and capable of ignition" when exposed to high temperatures and existing shipping containers are not capable of resisting a lithium fire.
(Source:www.schednet.com)