IFLN member Eurogate Logistics is handling challenging, potentially dangerous shipments on a consistent basis. The Prague-based forwarder has been overseeing shipments of lithium batteries from China to Prague for a year now, the batteries mainly moving from Hong Kong and Shenzhen in the south, as well as in smaller quantities from the Chinese ports of Shanghai and Ningbo further north, all the way to the Czech Republic.

    The dangerous cargo is moved by sea from those Chinese ports to the German gateways of Hamburg or Bremerhaven, before the consignment is flown direct to Prague. There are strict limitations on the movement of these batteries and an IATA DGR (International Air Transport Association Dangerous Goods Regulations) and IMO (International Maritime Organization) certificate are prerequisites for Eurogate before it can think of shipping this dangerous cargo (although, as Eurogate director Petr Rozek pointed out, other non-IFLN forwarders are perhaps not always so scrupulous, on occasion shipping without the required DGR declarations).

    Eurogate is working with a Chinese IFLN partner to ensure that the batteries are properly declared and safely shipped out of China. Eurogate also provided the relevant customs brokerage and AAR (against all risks) insurance at what Rozek noted is a very reasonable price.

    Despite the various challenges, Eurogate has built up a regular trade lane in these potentially lethal shipments, meeting their customer's expectations on a continuing basis.

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