Guangzhou (Nansha)
Pearl River Delta battery cargo through Nansha, where a September 2026 agreement lets Dongguan-inspected containers load without a second MSA check, and where typhoon season runs June to October.
Europe · sea freight from Guangzhou
Shipping from Guangzhou to Bordeaux
Guangzhou to Bordeaux
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Sicily Channel · Strait of Gibraltar · Bay of Biscay
- GuangzhouChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Sicily Channel
- Strait of Gibraltar
- Bay of Biscay
- BordeauxFrance
This route runs through Guangzhou's Nansha terminals, which since September 2026 accept Dongguan-inspected battery boxes without a second check, then follows a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean; at the far end is the port of Bordeaux.
France asks for a batteries IDU and eco-organisme membership 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
- Nansha export
- Dongguan–Nansha one-box
- Consignee EORI
- EU declaration of conformity
- IDU (batteries stream)
Route profile
The Guangzhou → Bordeaux route in brief
France
A SYDEREP IDU and eco-organisme membership for every battery category, with EU duties from CE marking to the importer's address on the battery.
Where this route gets difficult
Where Guangzhou → Bordeaux shipments get held up: 5 points
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Bordeaux and the France market.
- Origin port
Typhoon weeks at the Pearl River mouth
The Hong Kong Observatory puts the region's tropical cyclone season from June to October, busiest July to September. Nansha sits at the mouth of the Pearl River; a closed gate or a changed vessel means the DG filings and the packing certificate have to follow the box to a new sailing.
What Anxin does: From June to October we leave slack between stuffing and the DG cut-off at Nansha and refile quickly if the vessel changes.
- Sea corridor
Mediterranean services are back in the Red Sea more than others
Sea-Intelligence data for September 2026 show 57% of Asia–Mediterranean services routed via the Red Sea, against 27% for North Europe. For Bordeaux the Suez routing is therefore the likely one, and it runs through Bab el-Mandeb, which the JMIC rated SUBSTANTIAL on 24 September 2026: the Houthis describe their blockade as selective, and they now hold Perim Island in the channel.
What Anxin does: We ask the carrier which routing its service to Bordeaux uses and name it on the quote, together with any war-risk or emergency surcharge.
- Import country
CE marking and a declaration of conformity in the right language
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 France 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 France importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.
- Import country
Battery label from August 2026, QR code from February 2027
The Battery Regulation's general information label applies from 18 August 2026 (or 18 months after the label implementing act, if later), and every battery needs a QR code from 18 February 2027, linked to a battery passport for EV, LMT and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. Where the battery is too small, both go on the packaging and accompanying documents.
What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the France 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.
- Import country
Safety documentation for stationary storage systems
Since 18 August 2024 a stationary battery energy storage system placed on the EU market must be safe in normal operation, and its technical documentation must show testing against the Annex V safety parameters, from thermal shock and short-circuit protection to over-discharge and thermal propagation. Buyers of ESS cabinets in France increasingly ask for that file before delivery.
What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for France we ask the manufacturer to confirm that the Annex V test documentation exists before booking and note the answer in the shipment file.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Guangzhou → Bordeaux
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.
In Guangzhou, before the box is loaded
- 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
- Transport-condition classification report where applicable
- Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
Carrier and voyage
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- Consignee EORI and HS-level description to the ENS filer before loading
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
For import into France
- Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
- Haulier in France briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- Batteries-stream IDU of the producer of record in France
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 Guangzhou filings, the carrier booking and the France 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 Guangzhou to Bordeaux, and who acts
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typhoon closure after filings are made | Nansha, Jun–Oct | Slack in stuffing date; prompt refiling | Anxin with the declarant |
| Security incident near Bab el-Mandeb changes the routing or adds surcharges | Southern Red Sea | Routing and surcharges stated in writing before booking | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required language | Importer in France | Declaration and CE photo collected before loading | Manufacturer / importer |
| Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026 | Importer in France | Label status confirmed before booking | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
Questions about shipping from Guangzhou to Bordeaux
24 hours before the container is loaded in China, not before it reaches Bordeaux. 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.
Nansha MSA has recommended around 25% for ESS batteries and measures against accidental activation. Treat it as the local authority's recommendation; the carrier's own acceptance conditions also apply.
References
Where these points come from
- Identifiant unique (IDU) des filières REP (ADEME, Filières REP)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (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))
- Nansha MSA meeting on the safe carriage of energy-storage batteries (Guangzhou Nansha District Government)
- Forecasting yearly number of tropical cyclones affecting Hong Kong (tropical cyclone season June–October, most active July–September) (Hong Kong Observatory)
- Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Guangzhou
- 5ImportClearance at Bordeaux
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Guangzhou → Bordeaux before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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