Canine detectives to sniff out lithium batteries
Qatar Airways Cargo and its ground handler Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals (Hactl) have teamed up to provide an extra layer of security for the airline’s ex-Hong Kong flights, using technical detection dogs to sniff out hidden lithium batteries in air cargo.
The detection service is being provided by specialist MSA Security, an Allied Universal company (MSA), which now operates a team of security experts and sniffer dogs within a dedicated area of Hactl’s Super Terminal 1 facility.
The dogs are specially trained to detect specific odours, resulting in their ability to detect lithium batteries, whether they are in loose, palletised or containerised cargo.
In trials at Hactl, an MSA dog successfully detected packages containing lithium batteries in PCs, and even a single power bank, located on pallets containing other general cargo. (cj)