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Stop shipping! Shipping companies blocked this business
Aug 28, 2024|
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Recently, HMM, one of Asia's largest shipping companies, made an announcement that it had decided to temporarily stop shipping lithium-ion batteries produced by the manufacturer Aricell.
This decision essentially constitutes a business blockade of Aricell, a Korean company.
It is understood that this decision stems from a series of recent safety incidents involving lithium-ion batteries, and HMM has recently issued a notice to its customers stating that it will suspend the receipt and transportation of lithium-ion batteries produced by the manufacturer Aricell with immediate effect.
Of particular interest is that HMM's official announcement states that the suspension is specific to Aricell lithium-ion batteries only, and that HMM will continue to maintain its normal receiving and shipping procedures for other brands of similar products on the market.
HMM emphasized the loading requirements, stating that only lithium-ion batteries in new condition are allowed to be loaded, and that these batteries must be properly stored in refrigerated containers with good ventilation, and that it is strictly prohibited to place them on the deck of the ship to ensure the safety and compliance of the transportation process.
At the same time, the company emphasized that it will not carry any used, discarded or defective batteries.
As for the reason for the blockade, local South Korean media speculated that the ban may have been caused by the explosion of a container on board the YM Mobility vessel in Ningbo harbor two weeks ago. The container that exploded on board was reportedly booked through HMM, and the YM Mobility vessel has now been declared a common sea loss (General Average).
However, a spokesperson for HMM said that the measure was not related to the recent hazardous materials explosion on the YM Mobility, but rather stemmed from a recent serious explosion and fire at one of Aricell's factories in South Korea, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 23 people.
According to reports, the containers involved were booked through HMM. In order to ensure navigation safety and prevent similar tragedies from happening again, HMM decided to take decisive measures to suspend the transportation of Aricell brand lithium-ion batteries.
On the morning of June 24 this year, a serious fire broke out at an Aricell lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, caused by a battery fire.
Surveillance video from the scene of the incident shows that when the battery products were found to be smoldering and on fire, employees at the scene tried to use fire extinguishers to put out the fire, but the explosive battery combustion led to heavy smoke inside the plant, and the fire quickly spread out of control, and the employees at the scene also lost the best time to escape.
Eventually more than 35.000 lithium batteries piled up in the plant burned out, and the fire lasted more than five hours before the main fire was finally extinguished, and firefighters entered the scene and found more than 20 charred remains. The accident eventually resulted in 23 people, including 17 Chinese laborers, tragically losing their lives in the fire, while eight others were injured.
On the morning of August 23rd local time, the “Hwaseong Battery Factory Fire” accident investigation team composed of the South Korean police and labor department released the results of the accident investigation to the public.
The results of the investigation showed that the company involved (Aricell) as early as 2021 to the South Korean military to provide relevant battery products, has been to take the packet testing products and other deceptive way through the safety inspection, the production process of shoddy, negligent management, and ultimately the bad battery products fire and burned into a tragedy.
HMM has not yet disclosed the exact duration of the suspension. However, based on past experience, such suspensions usually do not last long, and HMM will be able to resume normal operations once the results of the investigation are released.
There is no word yet on whether other liner operators will also adjust their regulations for lithium-ion battery shipments. However, given the recent spate of container ship fires, some operators may tighten their regulations on lithium-ion batteries.
