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Europe · sea freight from Dalian

Shipping from Dalian to Bilbao

Dalian to Bilbao

Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · Bay of Biscay

Sea corridor illustration: Dalian to Bilbao, Spain Simplified map with a curved corridor from Dalian via Yellow Sea, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar, Bay of Biscay to Bilbao. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIAAFRICAEUROPEINDIAN OCEAN Taiwan StraitSingapore / MalaccaBab-el-MandebSuez CanalGibraltar DalianCHINA ORIGIN BilbaoSPAIN DalianBOHAI SEASHANDONGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. DalianChina origin
  2. Yellow Sea
  3. Taiwan Strait
  4. Malacca Strait
  5. Indian Ocean
  6. Bab-el-Mandeb
  7. Suez Canal
  8. Strait of Gibraltar
  9. Bay of Biscay
  10. BilbaoSpain
Geographic corridor illustration only, not a vessel track, port-call list or sailing schedule. The loading terminal, carrier, transshipment and dates are confirmed per shipment.

Lithium batteries for Bilbao go out of Dalian, the north-east's gateway on the Yellow Sea. On the way they face a voyage that may run through Suez as drawn or round the Cape, depending on the service, and they arrive at the port of Bilbao.

Spain wants the producer on the RII-PYA register, with its number on the invoice. The 5 points below are particular to this lane; each comes with what we do and the paperwork it touches.

What we need to start

  • Winter ice & spring fog
  • Dalian Dayaowan export
  • Spanish-language safety information
  • Consignee EORI
  • EU declaration of conformity
Ask about this route Spain ports from Dalian

Route profile

How Dalian → Bilbao differs from other lanes

Sea corridor

Asia – North & Atlantic Europe

The map shows the Suez corridor, but in September 2026 most Asia–North Europe capacity still sails round the Cape of Good Hope.

Import country

Spain

Spain's RII-PYA number on invoices, quarterly data that counts batteries inside equipment, EU importer duties and ADR for the road leg.

Blue harbour crane booms above a quay building in Dalian harbour
A cargo ship at anchor in calm water under a clear sky

Where this route gets difficult

5 points to plan for on the Dalian → Bilbao route

Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Bilbao and the Spain market.

  1. Origin port

    A smaller flow under the new ship-carriage standard

    Liaoning's first lithium battery export under JT/T 1543 sailed from Dayaowan on 4 May 2025, and Dalian MSA counted 885 TEU of lithium batteries exported in the first four months of that year. Carriers should not accept batteries that do not meet JT/T 1543, and with a thinner flow there are fewer sailings to fall back on if a booking is refused.

    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.

  2. Sea corridor

    Container losses off South Africa

    Routing round Africa takes battery boxes past the Cape. The World Shipping Council counted 576 containers lost at sea in 2024, and the South African Maritime Safety Authority estimates around 200 of them, about 35%, were lost near the Cape; in August 2024 SAMSA reported 99 boxes lost from the CMA CGM Belem off Richards Bay and 46 from the MSC Antonio off Port St Johns in winter weather.

    What Anxin does: When the booking goes via the Cape, we apply the CINS stuffing checks (gaps, blocking, wall clearance) more strictly and ask for photos at every stage of packing.

  3. Import country

    RII-PYA registration, done by the SCRAP or by the producer

    Spain's industry ministry keeps the battery register (RII-PYA). Every importer of batteries has to be registered and declared as a producer; a collective scheme may file for its members, otherwise the producer files online with an electronic signature or Cl@ve. The register number that comes back must be printed on the producer's invoices.

    What Anxin does: We ask the Spanish importer for its RII-PYA number and whether its SCRAP filed the registration, then carry the number on the documents we prepare for Bilbao.

  4. Import country

    The truck leg out of Bilbao runs under ADR

    Road delivery from Bilbao 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 Spain 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.

  5. Import country

    The importer's name and address on the battery

    A battery entering Spain has to identify its importer: name, registered trade name or trade mark, postal address and a contact point belong on the battery itself, or on the packaging or accompanying document when the battery is too small. That text is fixed at the factory, not at Bilbao.

    What Anxin does: We pass the Spain 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.

Locator map of Bilbao, SpainBilbao
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (43.25°N, 2.97°W).
Blue container gantry cranes on a quay at the Port of Algeciras

Documents & compliance

Checklist for Dalian → Bilbao

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.

Before loading in Dalian

  • JT/T 1543 conformity evidence from the manufacturer
  • Substance declaration covering mercury, cadmium and lead limits
  • Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
  • Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
  • Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing

For the shipping line

  • Routing (Suez or Cape of Good Hope) and any transhipment port stated on the booking confirmation
  • Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
  • Consignee EORI and HS-level description to the ENS filer before loading

For the importer in Spain

  • RII-PYA registration number of the Spanish producer
  • Instructions and safety information in the language Spain requires
  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
A shrink-wrapped lithium-ion battery pack for a small electric vehicle
Before you book

One consistent file

A document that is present but inconsistent holds a booking as surely as a missing one: the UN number, model name or carton count reads differently in the Dalian export filings, the carrier booking and the Spain import papers. We compare all three before confirming space.

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

Risks on this route and who deals with them

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Heavy weather off South AfricaCape of Good HopeCINS stuffing and blocking checks before sealingPacking site, checked by Anxin
Importer not registered in the RII-PYAImporter in SpainRegistration number confirmed before bookingImporter / SCRAP
Road route planned through a category E tunnelRoad leg from BilbaoTunnel code (E) passed to the haulier with the transport dataHaulier / forwarder
Importer details missing from battery and packagingImporter in SpainAddress block sent to the factory before packingManufacturer / importer

Questions

Common questions on the Dalian → Bilbao route

The importer's: name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal address with a contact point, on the battery or, if it is too small, on the packaging or accompanying document.

Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports are in the EU Emissions Trading System, covering 50% of the emissions of a voyage from outside the EU. Lines must surrender allowances for 70% of 2025 emissions and 100% from 2027, and may pass the cost on as a surcharge.

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

  1. Registro de Pilas y Acumuladores: preguntas frecuentes (Ministerio de Industria y Turismo)
  2. Registro de Pilas y Acumuladores (RII-PYA) (Ministerio de Industria y Turismo)
  3. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  4. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  5. Search on for containers lost overboard off South Africa's Indian Ocean coast (South African Maritime Safety Authority)
  6. Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
  7. Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))

Next step

From enquiry to import

  1. 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
  2. 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
  3. 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
  4. 4HandoverAt Dalian
  5. 5ImportClearance at Bilbao
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Dalian → Bilbao

Origin and destination are filled in; add the cargo facts you have.

Sending this form starts a review; it does not confirm carriage. Full enquiry form

After you send it

We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Bilbao before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Dalian · Spain ports

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