Battery Air Freight To Middle East Avoid Pitfalls: Professional Forwarder Compliance Tips
Zayed shipped 20 cartons of ternary lithium batteries via air freight to middle east. However, he was notified that the goods were inspected and detained in Hong Kong two days later. His previous forwarder gave ambiguous replies. Finally, he found the problem: the battery parameters declared to the airline were unclear. The airport security detained the cargo for failing to operate in accordance with dangerous goods regulations.
With no other options, Zayed found me online. I told him that lithium batteries over 1000Wh belong to Class 9 dangerous goods when shipped via air freight to Dubai. The core of the shipment is compliant declaration and safety protection for dangerous goods, which perfectly shows the professionalism of a freight forwarder.
Zayed said I hit the key point and asked if we mainly focus on battery shipping. I replied that we are one of the top five service providers of air freight to middle east. We buy 20 airline pallets every week from two major airlines, with a weekly cargo volume of 50 tons. We handle all kinds of goods professionally, and battery shipment is just one part of our business. Zayed trusted us greatly and decided to place a trial order.
Zayed sent the goods to our warehouse, and I guided him to prepare complete documents. I told him that compliant documents are the top priority for lithium battery shipments. There are three core certificates: UN38.3 Test Report to prove the batteries pass high and low temperature, short circuit and other safety tests; Dangerous Goods Classification Identification Report to confirm the hazard level and shipping conditions; Packaging Performance Inspection Report to verify the packaging meets dangerous goods shipping standards.
After the batteries arrived at our warehouse, we checked every detail carefully. We confirmed the lithium content and energy value on the UN38.3 Test Report were consistent with the actual goods. Many ordinary forwarders engaged in air freight to middle east often use test reports of other battery models, causing inconsistent declaration data and cargo information.
Zayed initially thought these checks were unnecessary. After seeing our standardized operations, he understood the importance of strict compliance. It is our consistent high-standard working attitude that makes us one of the top five providers of air freight to middle east.
To meet Zayed’s requirement of delivery within 5 days, we arranged a direct China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou and Shenzhen to Dubai. The cargo landed at Dubai Airport in 8 hours. We picked up the goods in the next morning and delivered them to Zayed’s designated warehouse at noon. Zayed was amazed by the smooth shipment, totally different from his previous troublesome experience, and he praised our service highly.