The United States Coast Guard issued on March 10, 2022 a “Marine Safety Alert on Lithium Batteries” in response to an August 19, 2021 fire involving a container of undeclared, waste lithium batteries that was en route to a port in Virginia and intended for a maritime voyage to a port in China via a foreign-flagged container ship. A similar container fire occurred on March 4, 2022 at a port in California that also involved undeclared, waste lithium batteries. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are involved in the investigations of these undeclared shipments and are expected to provide more information as it becomes available.
