Lianyungang
Jiangsu's Yellow Sea port, with a simplified document list for 'new three' cargo since 2024 and its own guide for energy-storage units on break-bulk ships.
Europe · sea freight from Lianyungang
Shipping from Lianyungang to Sète
Lianyungang to Sète
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Sicily Channel · Ligurian Sea
- LianyungangChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Sicily Channel
- Ligurian Sea
- SèteFrance
Lithium batteries for Sète go through Lianyungang port. On the way they face a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane, and they arrive at the port of Sète.
France asks for a batteries IDU and eco-organisme membership before the first sale. This page sets out 6 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.
What we need to start
- Break-bulk ESS guide
- Fog season Apr–Jul
- French-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
- EU declaration of conformity
Route profile
How Lianyungang → Sète differs from other lanes
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
6 points to plan for on the Lianyungang → Sète route
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Sète and the France market.
- Origin port
Energy storage on break-bulk ships: Lianyungang's own rules
Lianyungang MSA's June 2025 guide for ESS on break-bulk ships treats ESS cabinets as UN3480 and ESS containers as UN3536, recommends a remaining charge of 20–50%, and requires converters and monitoring to be powered off, series and parallel circuits disconnected, packages evenly spread with a low centre of gravity, and a safety meeting before the ship arrives.
What Anxin does: For ESS units we confirm the UN number the unit ships under, get the state of charge and isolation steps in writing from the manufacturer, and join the pre-arrival safety meeting with the stowage details.
- Origin port
Fog season at Lianyungang
Between April and July sea fog is a major marine hazard in the Yellow and Bohai Seas, the China Meteorological Administration says. Lianyungang, like Qingdao, can see vessels held at anchor by fog, and moving a box to another vessel means amending its DG filings.
What Anxin does: In fog season we keep slack between stuffing and the DG cut-off and have the filing data ready to amend.
- 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 Sète 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 Sète uses and name it on the quote, together with any war-risk or emergency surcharge.
- Import country
The truck leg out of Sète runs under ADR
Road delivery from Sète 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 France 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 Lianyungang.
- 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 France importer's details need to reach the factory before printing.
What Anxin does: We pass the France 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
Mercury, cadmium and lead limits in portable batteries
Annex I of the Battery Regulation caps mercury at 0.0005 %, cadmium at 0.002 % and lead at 0.01 % by weight in portable batteries, and the lead limit has applied since 18 August 2024. Market surveillance in France can ask the importer to show that the goods meet these limits.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the France importer; we do not test batteries.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Lianyungang → Sète
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.
In Lianyungang, before the box is loaded
- For ESS: UN3480 or UN3536 confirmed, state of charge and circuit isolation stated in writing
- Annex V safety documentation confirmed for stationary storage systems
- 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)
For the carrier and the voyage
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
- Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
For import into France
- Haulier in France briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- Instructions and safety information in the language France requires
- Batteries-stream IDU of the producer of record in France
Before you book
Match the details first
We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Lianyungang filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for France before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Sète.
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 Lianyungang to Sète, and who acts
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESS unit not isolated or poorly distributed in a break-bulk hold | Lianyungang, break-bulk loading | Manufacturer's written isolation steps; safety meeting | Manufacturer / ship, coordinated by Anxin |
| 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 |
| Road route planned through a category E tunnel | Road leg from Sète | Tunnel code (E) passed to the haulier with the transport data | Haulier / forwarder |
| Importer details missing from battery and packaging | Importer in France | Address block sent to the factory before packing | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
Common questions on the Lianyungang → Sète 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.
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.
Its June 2025 break-bulk ESS guide recommends 20–50% remaining charge, with converters and monitoring off and circuits disconnected.
References
Regulations and port sources cited
- Identifiant unique (IDU) des filières REP (ADEME, Filières REP)
- 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))
- Sea fog in the Yellow and Bohai Seas (fog season mainly April–July) (China Meteorological Administration (from Guangming Daily))
- 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 Lianyungang
- 5ImportClearance at Sète
Prefer chat? Chat on WhatsApp (+86 151 4514 5178)
After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Lianyungang → Sète before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Lianyungang · France ports
Need Lianyungang → Sète reviewed?
Share the cargo facts; we review the route in writing.
Request a Quote