‍10 September 2026 – The World Shipping Council (WSC) is calling on governments to address a gap in international dangerous goods rules that allows containers carrying thousands of lithium batteries to be transported without carriers being informed of the hazard.
The call comes as battery transport grows rapidly and cargo fires remain a persistent risk at sea. Global lithium-ion battery deployment in 2025 was six times higher than in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency, with battery demand expected to double by 2030. Latest statistics by insurer Allianz show that a container ship fire occurs every 17 days.
Special Provision 188 of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code exempts smaller batteries from certain requirements when they meet specified testing, packaging and capacity criteria. However, there is no limit on how many exempt batteries can be consolidated in one container. (....)