Emergency
Time: January 8
Goods: Lithium batteries
Flight: HX 254
Airline response
Add the consignor * * * Electronics ( Shenzhen ) Co., Ltd. to the blacklist and no longer accept all the consignor's goods.
Subsequent impact
The cargo fire in the airport is expected to be severely inspected by Hong Kong Airport. This will undoubtedly bring a lot of variables to the cargo forwarders who mainly sell live products, especially lithium batteries, by air.
Hong Kong Airport Becomes a Lithium Battery Transfer Station
Battery " bombs" are flying all over the world
Note: It is only used as news background for reference and has no direct connection with the cause of the accident.
Since April 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) and the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) have implemented new regulations on lithium batteries transported by air. Apart from prohibiting the use of passenger planes to transport lithium batteries, there are also strict restrictions on transporting lithium batteries by air cargo planes.
According to reports, some logistics companies in Shenzhen have approved Hong Kong's fast customs clearance system, taking tons of lithium batteries every day as ordinary goods to be shipped overseas by air cargo plane. Some people in the industry pointed out that after the new regulations were implemented, shipping costs increased, and some logistics companies robbed customers at low prices and illegally transported lithium batteries.
" Our company consigns 1 ton of pure battery ( lithium battery ) every day." The customer manager of a Shenzhen logistics company talked to reporter Kan Kan who pretended to check in and showed the reporter around its logistics center. On that day, nearly 40 boards of about 200 kilograms of goods per board were being transported to the truck. " These are all batteries. They can be delivered to Hong Kong Airport in the afternoon and the early morning flight will start." The customer manager revealed that because airports in Hong Kong and the European Union have adopted simple customs clearance procedures, they are very safe and rarely subject to spot checks unless complaints are received.
Another Shenzhen logistics company, which claims to be specialized in shipping lithium batteries, also said that it can ship high-power lithium batteries over 100 watts, which can also be transported abroad via Hong Kong airport and can be shipped in ordinary containers without placing the lithium batteries in special boxes dedicated to transporting dangerous goods.
Ye Yile, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminal Staff Union, said frankly that Hong Kong's airport has a huge volume of cargo, including lithium batteries, which need to be self-disciplined by consignors.
Zheng Jiawei, professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said that the lithium battery was not properly packed in the air and might catch fire due to friction. If there are other flammable objects such as clothes nearby, the fire will spread faster and the consequences will be unimaginable.
Some of the most shipping readers said that 25 % of the goods will go through X-ray in November this year, which is expected to be ahead of schedule.
The Hong Kong Airport said it would actively follow up the investigation of the suspected shipment by air and will step up inspections of the suspected companies.
