Cathay Cargo and Cathay Cargo Terminal have received the IATA Center of Excellence for Independent Validators Lithium Batteries (CEIV Li-Batt) certification. With this accreditation Cathay now holds the full set of CEIV certifications.
On Friday (August 4, 2023), Cathay Pacific announced that Cathay Cargo and Cathay Cargo Terminal have received the IATA Center of Excellence for Independent Validators – Lithium Batteries (EEIV-Li-Batt) certification. This completes the company’s full set of CEIV certifications, joining CEIV Pharma, CEIV Fresh, and CEIV Live Animals. The importance of properly labeling, handling and transporting lithium batteries cannot be overstated, as these shipments have the potential to endanger people and properly, and have caused fires. The new CEIV Li-Batt accreditation complements Cathay Cargo’s existing Lithium-ion mitigations, including a full range of fire containment bags (FCBs) and fire resistant containers (FRCs). Additionally, Cathay Cargo operates their Cargo Agent Operation Programme, an additional indemnity scheme for mislabeled dangerous goods.
In Friday’s announcement, Cathay Cargo’s Director, Tom Owen, said,
“The safe carriage of lithium-ion batteries is a core focus of our cargo business and we have introduced a coherent and far-reaching series of safety protocols with our customers and operational teams to mitigate risks over the past few years. The CEIV Li-batt accreditation now achieved by both Cathay Cargo and the Cathay Cargo Terminal will give further confidence to our customers that we adhere to the highest standards of handling in the industry. We will continue to innovate and optimise our processes around safe lithium-ion battery carriage. The work we are doing related to this will remain as the upmost priority for our operational teams.”
Also commenting on Cathay Cargo’s new CEIV Li-Batt certification, IATA’s Regional Vice President for North Asia, Dr. Xie Xingquan, added,
“The air cargo market for products containing lithium-ion batteries is experiencing significant growth. We congratulate Cathay Cargo and its cargo terminal operator, Cathay Cargo Terminal, on successfully achieving IATA’s CEIV Lithium Batteries Certification. This accomplishment by one of the world’s largest cargo operators and its partner, located in one of the busiest logistics hubs globally, is a significant boost for the aviation industry. Furthermore, it assures the customers of these organisations that they are adhering to the highest safety and security standards when transporting products containing lithium-ion batteries.”
The Cathay Cargo Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport has also received their own independent CEIV Li-Batt accreditation for cargo terminal operators. The certification formalizes baseline standards to improve the competency and quality management in the handling and carriage of lithium-ion batteries across the supply chain, and the accreditation is also available to freight forwarders and cargo terminal operators. CEIV Li-Batt certification is underpinned by the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) and the IATA Lithium Battery Shipping Regulations (LBSR), and adds training, assessment and validation that demonstrate compliance to these regulations.
Source: Cathay Pacific