UPS cargo plane crash- are batteries to blame?

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the crash in Dubai last week of the UPS freighter. The theory is a there was a fire in the cargo hold.

From the Journal of Commerce

Crash investigators are trying to identify which type of cargo was located near the starboard wing of the three-year-old 747-400 freighter and are trying to determine if lithium batteries were present on the flight, according to report by The Associated Press.
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According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were 113 incidents on both cargo and passenger planes between 1991 and early 2010 involving “smoke, fire, extreme heat or explosion” due to lithium batteries or equipment that uses them.

The Transportation Department in January called for stricter rules for shipping lithium batteries on cargo flights.

I know we are all tempted to discount the possibility of a lithium battery causing a fire, but apparently this is a real possibility.

Packaging and shipping goods for air transport is a very serious business. Too many people sign documents, certifying goods are acceptable for air transport, without really knowing what they are doing, or, worse yet, not caring.

I worked with a guy over 30 years ago, who brazenly put cans of paint in domestic airfreight containers, unmarked, not correctly packaged, and with falsified paperwork.

He seemed quite pleased with himself to save so much money.

I was too young and green to really know the danger, yet, I knew the shipping regulations existed for a reason.

So if you are shipping, or even using something with lithium batteries, take heed.

How to file a customs entry

I am not really going to tell you how to file a customs entry. It's quite complicated, in any country. It's a bit like filing a tax return.

In the U.S., importers are allowed to file customs entries directly with the government. They are not required to use a broker. But, as of now, most do.

All of the big express companies have their own in-house Customs broker, or sub-contract the services as needed. Here is the link for Fed-Ex Trade Networks.

As one of the largest-volume customs entry filers in North America, we handle more than 6 million transactions annually.

But the big guys aren't happy with what the WTO is doing. From the American Shipper

Express carriers voiced concern this week that the World Trade Organization and World Customs Organization appear to be “retreating” on a previous commitment to eliminate national mandates for companies to file import declarations to customs administration via customs brokers.
The Brussels-based Global Express Association told the heads of the WTO and WCO in a Dec. 2 letter that the use of customs brokers should not be a requirement for companies to interact with national customs administrations.
Mandated use of the services of a favored professional group is a symptom of and contributor to political corruption,” warned John P. Simpson, director general of the association, which represents UPS, FedEx, DHL and TNT.
Express carriers, with their capacity as both transporter and importer, believe they are technologically and regulatory sophisticated enough to interact with customs administrations directly.
“Customs brokers can provide highly valuable services and many importers choose to use the services of customs brokers even when they are free to submit their own declarations,” he added. “But customs brokers like all other professionals should rely on the market for their business, not government coercion. Governments should not be in the business of mandating use of private commercial services.”

I am not really sure why these express carriers are opposed to this. There are a lot of countries in the world, each with their own import regulations. International shipping can be quite complicated. And honestly, do these express companies really want the liability of filing entries for packages they don't actually own?