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WSC Pushes IMO to Reclassify Lithium Battery Shipments as Dangerous Goods

The World Shipping Council has submitted a formal proposal to the International Maritime Organization calling for stricter labeling requirements on lithium battery shipments. The WSC's paper, filed ahead of the IMO's sub-committee meeting on cargo carriage scheduled for September 14-18 in London, targets Special Provision 188 of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. Current exemptions allow unlimited quantities of smaller batteries to consolidate in single containers without dangerous goods documentation or placarding. A container holding approximately 4,200 laptops could carry roughly 416 kilowatt-hours of energy—comparable to three or four electric vehicles—yet remain unmarked. Data from the Cargo Notification Incident System, which tracks incidents among 14 major container carriers, shows lithium-ion shipboard fires now occur every 17 days. Carriers frequently lack awareness of battery presence in unmarked containers, contributing to escalating fire risk.