Matheson Tri-Gas and its commercial partner, ATMI, recently announced the first-ever air transport of a SDS®3-Arsine cylinder. The historic event occurred on January 17, 2008 aboard an Atlas Polar Freighter from Chicago, Illinois to Incheon International Airport in Korea. This flight was monumental in that this was the first time a Division 2.3 Zone A material was authorized for air transportation.
The strict guidelines of the US Department of Transportation (DOT), while allowing for ground and sea shipments of this material, did not allow air transportation.
Matheson and ATMI initially approached the DOT in March 2005 with a proposal to allow air shipment of Division 2.3 Zone A material in SDS®3 packages. After a careful two-year review, the DOT issued a Special Permit to allow several of the SDS®3 gases to be shipped by air using an overpack cylinder especially designed for this purpose.
According to Jerrold Sameth, Vice President, Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc, “This is not only monumental step forward in terms of aviation transport, it also has the immediate effect of drastically reducing the risks of a potential supply chain interruption because of a problem with surface transportation such as a port closure, and we now have the ability to expedite shipments.”
