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
Dalian to Ravenna
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Adriatic Sea · Ligurian Sea
This route runs from Liaoning through Dalian's Dayaowan terminals, then follows a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean; at the far end is the port of Ravenna.
Italy expects the producer to be on the Chambers of Commerce battery register before the first sale. 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
Route profile
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.
Mediterranean services are the ones most likely to use Suez again (57% in September 2026), which puts the cargo back through Bab el-Mandeb, rated a SUBSTANTIAL threat.


Where this route gets difficult
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Ravenna and the Italy market.
The China Meteorological Administration describes sea fog as a major marine hazard in the Yellow and Bohai Seas, with the season mainly from April to July, seriously affecting sea transport. Fog holds keep vessels at anchor, and a late vessel can push the box past its documented sailing.
What Anxin does: In the fog season we avoid tight stuffing-to-cut-off gaps and keep the filing data ready to amend if the vessel changes.
Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports, Ravenna included, are in the EU Emissions Trading System: 50% of the emissions of a voyage from China are covered, and the share of emissions for which lines must surrender allowances rises from 70% (for 2025 emissions) to 100% from 2027. Carriers can pass that cost on 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.
Since 18 August 2024 a battery sold in the EU needs the CE marking and an EU declaration of conformity from its manufacturer. The declaration has to be available in the language Italy requires, and the importer is the one who must check both before the goods are released for sale.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer in China for the declaration of conformity and a photo of the CE marking on the battery or its packaging before loading, and pass them to the Italy importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.
Two marking dates fall into current shipping plans for Italy: the general label from 18 August 2026 and the QR code from 18 February 2027, which for EV, LMT and larger industrial batteries has to open the battery passport.
What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the Italy importer to confirm the battery category and whether the label and QR-code elements are already on the goods, and compare carton photos with that answer.
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 Italy are already asking suppliers for the supply-chain data they will need.
What Anxin does: We pass the Italy 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
These documents come from the shipper, the manufacturer and the importer. Anxin checks them against each other; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.

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 Italy 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
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fog hold delays the vessel; filings need amending | Yellow Sea, Apr–Jul | Amendment-ready filing data | Anxin with the declarant |
| Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailing | EU port call | Surcharge shown as a separate line | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required language | Importer in Italy | Declaration and CE photo collected before loading | Manufacturer / importer |
| Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026 | Importer in Italy | Label status confirmed before booking | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
24 hours before the container is loaded in China, not before it reaches Ravenna. Without it carriers do not load the box, and a filing without an EORI number is rejected.
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
Next step
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We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Ravenna before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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