With the start of the new year came considerable regulatory changes to controls around the transport of dangerous goods. New UN numbers and new requirements across air have already come into force, with the 2025 ADR regulations compulsory from July, and 2024 IMDG from January 2026.
It is at this time of year that we also look to review incidents from the previous year and examine how any additional incoming legislative changes could impact dangerous goods transport. Some of the incidents that particularly interested us this year included:
- DHL Warehouse Fires: In July 2024, incendiary devices concealed within parcels caused fires at DHL warehouses in Birmingham, UK, and Leipzig, Germany. Investigations suggested potential involvement of Russian operatives aiming to disrupt logistics and supply chains. These incidents underscored the vulnerabilities in freight security and the catastrophic potential if such devices were to ignite mid-flight.
- Yang Ming Ship Fire in Port: In August 2024, the Yang Ming vessel YM Mobility caught fire whilst docked at the port of Ningbo. It is believed the explosion was a result of dangerous goods on the ship. Cargo on board included lithium batteries and tert-Butyl peroxybenzoate – a flammable organic compound.
- Maersk Frankfurt Fire: In July 2024 a fire broke out onboard the Maersk Frankfurt as it made its way to Sri Lanka. The ship was 100 miles North of Goa at the time and was carrying Benzene and Sodium Cyanate on the vessel, alongside other dangerous goods. One crew member was killed, and it took 10 days for the fire to be extinguished. The vessel was carrying 5920 containers at the time.
These incidents highlight the importance of compliance with the dangerous goods regulations, and the risk of non-compliance. While some of the regulatory changes to dangerous goods transport requirements for 2025 have already come into force, there are some pieces of legislation that could also indirectly impact transport that we’re keeping an eye on:
- Lithium-ion Battery Safety Bill: Currently moving through the House of Lords is a bill seeking to make provision regarding the safe storage, use and disposal of lithium-ion batteries.
- European Union Increases Import Controls: In response to several dangerous goods flooding European markets, the European Union in December 2024 announced plans to implement stricter controls on imported goods – particularly from some Asian fast fashion retailers. These retailers use existing customs rules to get goods that sometimes don’t meet EU safety standards into the market. Currently goods valued below €150 don’t go through significant customs checks. That means products, sometimes containing dangerous goods can enter the market unchecked. There have been similar issues in the US with the previous Biden administration putting 25% tariffs on lithium batteries arriving from China.
These stories highlight broader challenges surrounding dangerous goods compliance and the impact and risks from non-compliance. Sam Mohr, one of the DGSAs at Peter East recently wrote about the subject of limited quantities giving way to limited compliance. Read more here.
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