NEWS

HOME ꄲ NEWS ꄲ Container fire at Shenzhen Shekou Port! Shipping company issues urgent notice

Container fire at Shenzhen Shekou Port! Shipping company issues urgent notice

Published:2026-10-21 02:35
넶Views:5

1
 
 
SCT Terminal

Breaking! A container caught fire at Shenzhen Shekou Container Terminal (SCT)

2
 
 
General Administration of Customs

Launches “ Special Campaign Against Concealed and Misdeclared Dangerous Goods in Import and Export”

3
 
 
Pacific International Lines (PIL)

All lithium battery shipments to and from these regions must be declared as dangerous goods

4
 
 
Matson Navigation

Customers involved in such misdeclaration or omission have been warned, and serious cases will result in termination of cooperation!

5
 
 
Notice

Shipments containing lithium batteries or built-in batteries must be affixed with the UN3480/UN3481 label

On the morning of March 6, a container at Shenzhen Shekou Container Terminal (SCT) caught fire, suspected to be caused by the misdeclaration of dangerous goods. Photos from the scene show the container bottom was burned through and the container was severely damaged, posing a serious threat to port operations, cargo, and personnel safety.
 

The specific cause of the accident is not yet known. Please refer to the official announcement for accurate information!

Launch of the "Special Campaign to Combat Misdeclaration and Concealment of Dangerous Goods in Import and Export"
On January 18, 2023, the General Administration of Customs released information showing that in 2022, customs authorities organized a 100-day special campaign for the "comprehensive management of dangerous goods at ports," focusing on the two prominent issues of "detention" and "concealed or false declarations." By "preventing risks through swift action, rectifying disorder with strict measures, performing duties in accordance with regulations, and implementing comprehensive management," the dwell time of dangerous goods at ports was reduced by 63%, achieving "dynamic clearance," and 1,569 batches of concealed or falsely declared dangerous goods were detected.
In 2023, customs will launch a "special campaign to combat concealed and false declarations of import and export dangerous goods," improve long-term mechanisms, expand the pilot reform of inspection and supervision models in phases, strengthen evaluations, and refine relevant supporting systems to ensure port safety.
Since the beginning of this year, the General Administration of Customs has repeatedly emphasized in relevant work meetings the need to launch a "special campaign to combat concealed and false declarations of import and export dangerous goods," firmly uphold the safety baseline for dangerous goods supervision, and foster a first-class port business environment.

 

PIL: All Lithium Battery Shipments to/from These Regions Must Be Declared as Dangerous Goods

Pacific International Lines (PIL) has issued the Latest Notice on the Transport of Dangerous Goods – Lithium Batteries, stating that with immediate effect, all shipments containing lithium batteries, regardless of the lithium content, must be declared and classified as dangerous goods when imported into or exported from the regions covered by PIL’s service network listed below:

Please also note the following:

  • All lithium batteries to be shipped
     
    must be brand new and sealed. Damaged, replaced, or repacked lithium batteries are not accepted.
     
     
  • For lithium batteries declared as used,they must be fully discharged; in other words, they must be completely dead waste batteries.

     

 

Matson: Such Customers Have Been Warned
Severe Cases Will Face Suspension of Cooperation!

Violation

Recently, during routine LCL consolidation cargo inspections, a third-party inspection agency commissioned by Matson Navigation discovered that a small number of customers' container freight stations failed to comply with Matson's (hereinafter referred to as Matson) stipulated LCL cargo receiving procedures. Instances of concealment and omission were found regarding battery-containing cargoes. (Without first submitting the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for battery-containing cargoes to Matson for prior review and approval, they arbitrarily arranged for the loading of such cargoes into containers).

Case

As is widely known, in recent years, there have been numerous cases of major safety accidents caused by the concealment or misdeclaration of dangerous goods and chemical products. Last April, a container accepted by Matson also experienced a smoke incident due to a customer loading undeclared lithium batteries. Thanks to timely detection, further safety incidents were avoided. (Read the article: Dangerous Goods Concealment Causes Container Smoke! Matson Takes Emergency Action)

 

Exposure

Matson has always maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards such behavior.Therefore, Matson has decided to issue a verbal warning to these eight non-compliant warehouses, urging them to take this as a lesson.

1F Steel Structure Factory Building, Shanding, Heshu Pai Industrial Zone, Xinxue Community, Bantian Street, Longgang District, Shenzhen
Unit 201, 2nd Floor, Building A, Shunchengji Industrial Park, Qinghu Industrial Zone, Qinghu Community, Longhua District, Shenzhen
1st Floor, Jinweipeng, Yonghe Road, Heping Community, Fuhai Subdistrict, Bao'an District, Shenzhen
Ground Floor, Building D, Zone 1, Hejing Industrial Area, Fuyuan 2nd Road, Heping Community, Fuhai Subdistrict, Bao'an District, Shenzhen
Ground Floor, Building H, Lianyou Industrial Area, Xinhe Community, Fuhai Subdistrict, Bao'an District, Shenzhen
1st Floor, Building 19, Kejutong Industrial Park, Tongfu Road, Xinhe Community, Fuhai Street, Bao'an District, Shenzhen
1st Floor, Building 5, Weixinda Industrial Park, Wuhe Avenue, Longhua District, Shenzhen

5101-5105, Konggang No. 2, Yuanxia, Longgui, Baiyun District, Guangzhou

Penalty Measures

Matson has long engaged third-party inspection agencies BSS (Hengji Shipping) and CSIC (China Standard Inspection) to conduct random spot checks on LCL container loading. For any omissions, misdeclarations, or refusal of inspection discovered during these checks, the following penalties will be imposed on customers:

From February 16 to March 15, 2023, Matson will carry out a focused rectification campaign and inspect violations of Matson’s dangerous goods loading regulations. Warehouse addresses that fail to follow Matson’s dangerous goods handling procedures will be published weekly, and the relevant contracted agents will receive a written warning and be required to rectify the issues.

Starting March 15, if any warehouse is again found not following Matson’s dangerous goods handling procedures, in addition to continuing to publish the non-compliant warehouse addresses, Matson will suspend the booking privileges of the contracted agent involved with the shipment. In serious cases, the company’s transportation contract with Matson will be terminated directly, and no further cooperation will be conducted.

Reiteration of Standards

 

Real-Name Registration List

 

Matson contracted parties must diligently implement the real-name container packing information collection system, i.e., submit accurate details such as product name classification and packing address for the corresponding export containers to Matson customer service. This facilitates Matson’s subsequent cargo inspection spot checks. Please click the original article link to obtain the real-name registration form.

 

Categorized Cargo Acceptance Guidelines

 

If customers have any questions regarding the identification of dangerous goods names and classifications, they may refer to the previously published LCL Cargo Classification and Acceptance Guide (Acceptable Cargo Whitelist) issued by Matson. For any inquiries, please contact Matson’s customer service department by phone or email for confirmation.

 

Application and Operation Process

 

Customers must strictly comply with Matson’s application and operation procedures for dangerous goods and chemical products:

1. Application and Operation Process for Battery-Powered Dangerous Goods (Click the text for details)

2.Chemical and Dangerous Goods Name Review and Management Process（Click text for details）

3.Dangerous Goods Application and Operation Process（Click text for details）

Re-emphasis

Matson states: "Over the years, Matson has made many efforts and attempts to ensure the safety of customers' goods at every stage of Matson container transportation. At the same time, we also hope that our customers can strictly exercise self-discipline, strengthen self-inspection, comply with Matson's dangerous goods operation procedures and regulatory requirements, and jointly maintain a safe transportation environment."
Shipments Containing Lithium or Built-in Batteries Must Display UN3480/UN3481 Labels

Recently, multiple freight forwarders have issued notices:In accordance with General Administration policies, on-site customs now require that all export shipments containing lithium batteries—including products with built-in batteries—must be affixed with UN3480/UN3481 labels!

It is reported that the Yantian inspection site has advised that customs is conducting strict inspections on Class 9 batteries to regulate the compliant export of battery products.
  • Pure battery products with power not exceeding 100WH

The outer carton or product must bear a battery fire hazard label. For inspection, an MSDS certificate and a sea freight transport condition report for each battery model are required.

  • Pure battery products exceeding 100WH

The following are required for each battery model: MSDS certificate + UN38.3 test report + dangerous goods packaging certificate + sea freight transport condition report + Class 9 dangerous goods label + UN number label + UN-approved carton packaging.

▼ Labels as shown below

Furthermore, according to the dangerous goods classification by Ningbo Meishan Customs, any cargo containing batteries or lithium batteries—whether standalone batteries or integrated into the product—is classified as dangerous goods. This includes items such as electric scooters, electric toys, and electric tools (e.g., drills).

Reminder! Never take chances by making false declarations, concealing information, omitting details, or misreporting!
Ps:  This article is sourced from Shipping Network. Please credit the source when reposting.