The 42nd amendment of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), came into effect on January 1, 2025, with a transition period of one year. It will be mandatorily enforced starting January 1, 2026. This new revision includes additional UN numbers related to vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries, lithium metal batteries, and sodium-ion batteries. These additions first appeared in the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations (23rd revised edition), and were adopted in Amendment 42-24 of the IMDG Code.
(Extract from Chapter 3.2, Dangerous Goods List, of the UN RTDG 23rd revised edition)
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also incorporated these UN numbers in the 66th revised edition of the Dangerous Goods Regulations (2025-2026). Until March 31, 2025, shippers can label their shipments according to UN 3171 — Battery-powered vehicles or battery-powered equipment. Post March 31, 2025, the newly added UN3556 from the 66th revision will be used.
Based on this information, the most common lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles, such as new energy vehicles, scooters, handling robots, and electric wheelchairs, will need to follow these timelines for compliance:
For Lithium-ion Battery-powered Vehicles | ||
Implementation Date | From January 1, 2026 | |
Sea Transport | UN3171 Battery-powered equipment UN3171 Battery-powered vehicles | UN3556 Vehicles, lithium-ion battery-powered |
Implementation Date | From March 31, 2025 | |
Air Transport | UN3171 Battery-powered equipment UN3171 Battery-powered vehicles | UN3556 Vehicles, lithium-ion battery-powered |
Overview of additions in the IATA 66th edition:
UN3551 Sodium-ion batteries with organic electrolyte |
UN3552 Sodium-ion batteries contained in equipment with organic electrolyte |
UN3552 Sodium-ion batteries packed with equipment with organic electrolyte |
UN3554 Gallium contained in manufactured articles |
UN3555 Trifluoromethyltetrazole sodium salt in acetone with 68% or more acetone, by weight |
UN3556 Vehicle, lithium-ion battery powered |
UN3557 Vehicle, lithium metal battery powered |
UN3558 Vehicle, sodium-ion battery powered |
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