Global liner group urges IMO to set lithium battery declaration threshold

Photo : Gard

Governments are being urged to set a container-level threshold that would require lithium battery shipments above it to be declared as dangerous goods, according to a World Shipping Council statement. The proposal targets a gap in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code.

Special Provision 188 exempts smaller batteries from certain requirement when testing, packaging and capacity criteria are met, but sets no limit on how many exempt batteries can be consolidated in one container. A container carrying about 4,200 laptops could therefore hold roughly 416 kWh of stored energy, equivalent to three or four electric vehicles, without dangerous goods documentation or container placarding. “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. “The SP188 exemption was intended to simplify the transport of individual devices with small batteries, not to make entire container loads invisible.” 

International Energy Agency figures show global lithium-ion battery deployment in 2025 was six times higher than in 2020, with battery demand expected to double by 2030. Allianz statistics show a container ship fire occurs every 17 days. 

WSC said batteries are transported safely when properly declared and risks are managed. Without that information, carriers cannot properly assess the risk, choose appropriate stowage, separate the container from other cargo or prepare an informed emergency response.

“We know what can happen when hazards are invisible,” Kramek said. “Batteries shipped under the exemption have caused serious container fires, putting people, ports, ships and the marine environment at risk.”

Five governments and a broad coalition of industry organisations supported WSC in submitting a paper to the IMO proposing a maximum container-level threshold. Above that level, battery shipments would have to be declared and could require placarding.

“The current rules are not working as intended,” Kramek said. “As battery shipments continue to grow, we need a better solution that makes these cargoes visible and allows the risks to be properly managed.”

Governments will consider the issue at the IMO Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers in London from 14 to 18 September 2026.

World Shipping Council is an international trade association representing container and ro-ro liner carriers.The International Maritime Organization is a specialised UN agency responsible for shipping safety, security and prevention of pollution from ships.Allianz SE is the holding company of Allianz Group and also provides reinsurance to group companies.The International Energy Agency is an autonomous intergovernmental organisation within the OECD framework.

Source :Portnews