FAA Proposes $227,500 Civil Penalty Against Shanghai Yancui Import and Export Co. for Alleged Hazardous Materials Violations

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $227,500 civil penalty against Shanghai Yancui Import and Export Co., of Shanghai, China, for allegedly violating Hazardous Materials regulations.

The FAA alleges that on July 16, 2013, the company shipped a package containing one bottle of Titanium Tetrachloride on a DHL Express Worldwide cargo flight. Workers at the DHL package sorting facility in Erlanger, Ky., discovered the bottle emitting smoke. Titanium Tetrachloride is a poisonous, corrosive material, and Hazardous Materials regulations prohibit shipping it on passenger or cargo aircraft. The package also contained two bottles of Benzodioxole, which is a hazardous flammable liquid.

The FAA alleges that Shanghai Yancui did not mark, label or pack the shipment in accordance with the Hazardous Materials regulations, and the package was not accompanied by shipping papers to indicate the hazardous nature of its contents or emergency response information. Additionally, the FAA alleges Shanghai Yancui did not provide required hazardous materials training for its employees.

Shanghai Yancui has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA's enforcement letter to respond to the agency.