Weeks after an International Maritime Organization (IMO) subcommittee formally agreed to advance revisions aimed at eliminating fires at sea caused by lithium-ion batteries in shipping containers, a US lawmaker has introduced the “Battery Safety Placarding Act,” legislation that would require shipping labels on containers transporting lithium-ion batteries.     Introduced on 1 October by Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., the legislation would “require an external placard to be displayed on containers, vehicles, and rail cars transporting lithium-ion batteries, and for other purposes,” according to a draft copy of the bill obtained by Seatrade Maritime News.     “Clear labeling for hazardous material in transit is fundamental for the safety of our law enforcement, first responders, and traveling public,” Hageman said in a press release. “Explosives, flammable liquids, and toxic substances are all examples of items that require visible placards to immediately signify when hazardous material is present. Knowing the risks that lithium-ion batteries can pose, they should be no exception.”     In noting that the lithium-ion battery market has grown by more than 20% over the last two years into a $150 billion industry “with nearly every mode of transportation now involved” in their transport, Hageman emphasized that a series of major fires across those modes has underscored the need to reduce the safety risks.     Hageman’s concern for clear labeling echoed the concerns of the World Shipping Council (WSC), which is helping to lead the effort at the IMO to close the gap that allows lithium-ion batteries to be shipped undetected.      “Right now, a container can be packed with thousands of lithium batteries and still travel without being declared as dangerous goods,” WSC president and CEO Joe Kramek said prior to the IMO meeting. An exemption for allowing the batteries to be shipped inside electronic devices “was intended to simplify the transport of individual devices with small batteries, not to make entire container loads invisible.”     Hageman’s office confirmed that the bill’s reference to “freight containers” would apply to import ocean containers moving to US destinations inland. The bill’s language requires that the container placard be “clearly visible from all sides” of the container and be identifiable by law enforcement and first responders.”     The bill also directs the US Secretary of Transportation to “establish the quantity of lithium-ion batteries subject to the placarding requirements … based on physical characteristics of the batteries, including weight and dimensions, and energy capacity, and in a manner that accounts for the diverse risk profiles across the transportation lifecycle” of different types of batteries.      Because ocean shipping lines own a significant number of the world’s ocean containers, the legislation, if passed, could create a potential regulatory dilemma for the liner industry, which favors single global standards over a patchwork of regional laws.    

At the same time, US legislative and regulatory momentum could pressure the IMO to accelerate its own battery transport reforms.