Dalian (Dayaowan)
North-east China's battery gateway at Dayaowan, with a small but growing lithium export flow, a local MSA that has named misdeclaration as its main problem, and both winter ice and spring fog.
Europe · sea freight from Dalian
Shipping from Dalian to Thessaloniki
Dalian to Thessaloniki
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Mediterranean Sea · Aegean Sea
- DalianChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Mediterranean Sea
- Aegean Sea
- ThessalonikiGreece
This route runs through Dayaowan, where Liaoning's first JT/T 1543 lithium export sailed in May 2025, then follows a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane; at the far end is the port of Thessaloniki.
Greece registers battery producers in EOAN's EMPA register. This page sets out 5 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.
What we need to start
- Winter ice & spring fog
- Dalian Dayaowan export
- Greek-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
- EU declaration of conformity
Route profile
The Dalian → Thessaloniki route in brief
Greece
EMPA registration with EOAN before the first sale, a Greek authorised representative by written mandate, and the EU-wide battery and ICS2 duties.
Where this route gets difficult
Where Dalian → Thessaloniki shipments get held up: 5 points
They run from the Dalian terminal through the voyage to Thessaloniki and the Greece import file.
- Origin port
Fewer battery sailings from Dalian under JT/T 1543
Dalian's battery flow is modest: Dalian MSA recorded 885 TEU of lithium battery exports in the first four months of 2025, and Liaoning's first export under JT/T 1543 left Dayaowan on 4 May 2025. Carriers should refuse batteries that fail JT/T 1543, and a thin flow leaves fewer alternative sailings when a booking is turned down.
What Anxin does: We check JT/T 1543 conformity evidence with the manufacturer before booking and confirm the carrier's acceptance of the UN numbers in writing.
- Sea corridor
The inbound leg's emissions now count under EU ETS
Because Thessaloniki is an EU port, container ships of 5,000 GT or more calling there fall under the EU Emissions Trading System, which covers half the emissions of the voyage from China. Lines surrendered allowances for 70% of those emissions in 2025 and must cover 100% from 2027, a cost that can reach shippers as a surcharge.
What Anxin does: We ask for the emissions surcharge to be shown as its own line in the quote, with the basis the carrier uses, so that successive quotes can be compared like for like.
- Import country
The truck leg out of Thessaloniki runs under ADR
Road delivery from Thessaloniki is an ADR movement, because the EU applies ADR to domestic journeys through Directive 2008/68/EC. For UN 3480 that means class 9, transport category 2 and tunnel code (E), which restricts the route through category E tunnels; batteries found damaged at unloading move to special provision 376 packing (P908 or P911).
What Anxin does: We give the Greece haulier the same UN number, class and package details that appear on the sea dangerous goods declaration, so the ADR transport document matches the container paperwork from Dalian.
- Import country
The importer's name and address on the battery
The Battery Regulation asks the importer to put its own name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal address, with a single contact point, on the battery. Only when the battery's size or nature makes that impossible may the details move to the packaging or an accompanying document, so a Greece importer's details need to reach the factory before printing.
What Anxin does: We pass the Greece importer's name and address block to the manufacturer before the goods are packed in China and check carton or battery photos for it before loading.
- Import country
Supply-chain due diligence moved to August 2027
The Battery Regulation's due diligence obligations on cobalt, lithium, nickel and natural graphite were postponed by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 and now apply from 18 August 2027, with Commission guidelines due by 26 July 2026. Buyers in Greece are already asking suppliers for the supply-chain data they will need.
What Anxin does: We pass the Greece buyer's due diligence questions to the manufacturer and keep their answers with the shipment file; the policy itself remains the producer's responsibility.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Dalian → Thessaloniki
Test reports, safety data sheets and import certificates come from the shipper, factory and importer, not from Anxin; our part is to review them before booking.
Before loading in Dalian
- JT/T 1543 conformity evidence from the manufacturer
- EU declaration of conformity and CE marking photo from the manufacturer
- Importer name, trade name and postal address printed on battery or packaging
- Annex V safety documentation confirmed for stationary storage systems
- Substance declaration covering mercury, cadmium and lead limits
For the shipping line
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
- Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
For import into Greece
- Haulier in Greece briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
- Instructions and safety information in the language Greece requires
Before you book
Send the file once, complete
Most delays on this route start with a document that exists but does not match: a UN number, a model name or a package count that differs between the Dalian filings, the carrier booking and the Greece import file. We check the three against each other before the booking is confirmed.
Carriers we book with
Our booking panel; availability on this lane and acceptance of the declared UN numbers are confirmed for each booking. It does not mean that a listed carrier runs a direct service on this route. Carrier choice depends on the trade lane, cargo classification and each carrier's dangerous-goods acceptance at booking. The final carrier is confirmed on the booking.
Risk & mitigation
What could go wrong from Dalian to Thessaloniki, and who acts
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailing | EU port call | Surcharge shown as a separate line | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| Road route planned through a category E tunnel | Road leg from Thessaloniki | Tunnel code (E) passed to the haulier with the transport data | Haulier / forwarder |
| Importer details missing from battery and packaging | Importer in Greece | Address block sent to the factory before packing | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
Dalian → Thessaloniki: questions we are asked
The CE marking on the battery and the manufacturer's EU declaration of conformity, which must be available in the language Greece requires. Both have applied since 18 August 2024.
Often: in September 2026, 57% of Asia–Mediterranean services used the Red Sea routing. Bab el-Mandeb was rated a SUBSTANTIAL threat by the JMIC on 24 September 2026, so we confirm each service's routing before booking.
Dayaowan MSA reported in 2024 that omissions and misdeclarations of lithium battery cargo were frequent because the rules are complex, and it uses AI document comparison. Consistent data across the declaration, SDS and packing documents is the main defence.
References
Where these points come from
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 as regards due diligence obligations (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
- JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
- Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Dalian
- 5ImportClearance at Thessaloniki
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Thessaloniki before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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