Lithium Battery Curbs Likely After UPS Crash

(Cargonews Asia)

Federal officials are poised to substantially tighten restrictions on transporting lithium batteries in U.S. cargo planes, according to people familiar with the details, after an apparent cargo fire resulted in the crash of a United Parcel Service (UPS) jet in Dubai, reported Dow Jones Newswires.

The move, which would affect nearly all U.S. cargo carriers, could also force manufacturers and distributors of consumer electronics to alter their packaging and documentation procedures. Lithium batteries are used in a wide array of electronic devices, such as cell phones and laptop computers.

The urgency of the new restrictions, which people familiar with the matter expect to be announced shortly, appear to be a response to signs that lithium batteries may have stoked the intense fire and dense smoke that filled the cockpit of the UPS Boeing 747 jumbo jet before it went down on September 3, while trying to return to Dubai International Airport. Read more here.

Chemical Companies Must Lift Trade Compliance Standards

(ICIS.com – Thomas Cook, American River International)

All companies that operate global supply chains need to be sensitive to trade compliance within their import/export operations. And chemical firms need to raise the bar here because of the nature of their products and the scrutiny that government agencies bring to bear on them.

There are six areas critical to best practice in global trade compliance: senior management engagement; point person; evaluation; standard operating procedures (SOPs); training and education; and Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). […]

Chemical companies need to raise the bar of trade compliance management as the industry is targeted by government agencies that manage supply chain operations.A prudent company will seriously consider joining the C-TPAT program managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). To receive C-TPAT certification, which gives companies a favorable disposition by CBP on how they move freight across the border, companies inform CBP how their supply chain operates.

Chemical companies can go even further by achieving Importer’s Self Assessment (ISA) status, which eliminates a substantial portion of Customs scrutiny for companies that meet high standards in operation, business process and SOPs.

Other C-TPAT benefits include expedited clearances, mitigation of fines and penalties, access to CBP programs that offer competitive advantages, and help in maintaining supply chains in the event of terrorist acts.

Trade compliance will not only keep chemical companies out of trouble, but will also assist them in running their export and import trade lanes better, more cost-effectively and more securely.

Read the complete article here.