Every few weeks a shipper asks whether the batteries can go as general cargo, because the dangerous goods booking adds two weeks. They cannot, and the reason is not paperwork. A container declared as general cargo and found to hold lithium cells is not reclassified at the terminal: it is pulled, the booking is cancelled, and the shipper is on the carrier's list for the next twelve months.

Step 0: classify the battery before anything else

  • UN3480 — lithium ion cells or batteries shipped alone, the strictest of the four
  • UN3481 — lithium ion packed with equipment, or contained in equipment
  • UN3090 / UN3091 — the same two cases for lithium metal
  • Watt-hour rating decides the packing instruction: a small power bank and a 12-tonne shipment of cells are not the same shipment
  • Damaged, defective or recalled cells are forbidden to ship by sea in most cases — check before booking, not at the gate

Step 1: book dangerous goods, and book early

DG slots are limited per vessel, and the carrier approves each booking individually. Plan 14–21 days: the DG application goes in with the UN number, class, packing group, weight and packing certificate, and comes back approved or refused. Some carriers do not accept UN3480 at all, or only in full containers, or only below a stated state of charge. Ask which of these applies before you quote the freight.

Step 2: the document set

  • UN38.3 test summary covering the exact model shipped — a report for a similar model is not a report
  • MSDS in the current format, matching the product and the UN number
  • Sea transport condition appraisal or packing certificate for dangerous goods, issued for this shipment
  • DG declaration, signed by a trained signatory, with the proper shipping name, class, UN number and packing group
  • UN specification packaging certificate, and the packing list that matches the drums or cartons actually loaded
  • Container packing certificate, signed after loading

Step 3: packaging and marks

  • UN specification packaging for the packing instruction that applies, closed as tested
  • Class 9 label, UN number, proper shipping name, and the lithium battery mark where the instruction requires it
  • Terminals protected against short circuit; cells separated inside the carton
  • Orientation arrows and the correct gross weight on every package

Step 4: stowage and segregation

Keep the container away from heat sources and stow it as the segregation table requires: lithium batteries do not travel next to class 1, 3 or 5.1 cargo. Reinforce the load so nothing shifts against a package, and photograph the stow before the doors close, because that photo is the first thing an inspector asks for.

Step 5: loading checklist, seven steps

  1. Confirm the UN number and packing instruction against the actual product, not the invoice description
  2. Check the container: dry, clean, no holes, no residue from the previous cargo
  3. Load away from the doors, with dunnage between rows and no compression on the packages
  4. Apply lashing or bracing so the load cannot move fore and aft
  5. Photograph the stow, the marks and the placards
  6. Fit the DG placard and the container packing certificate before sealing
  7. Seal, record the seal number on the DG declaration, and send the documents to the carrier before the cut-off

Where it usually goes wrong

  • Declared as general cargo to save the DG surcharge; the terminal finds it, and the fine is larger than the surcharge
  • UN38.3 summary covering a different capacity than the cells in the box
  • MSDS copied from another product, with the wrong UN number in section 14
  • Class 9 label applied, lithium battery mark forgotten
  • DG application filed after the booking cut-off, so the slot is lost and the vessel sails without the container

A battery shipment is a document exercise with a sailing date. Send the UN number, the watt-hour rating and the UN38.3 summary before you ask for a rate — we will confirm which carriers on the lane accept it, and what the DG booking needs.