Asia – Baltic via the Danish straits
The Baltic is reached only through the Danish straits, where deep-draught ships are advised to take pilots, and its northern ports set ice-class restrictions every winter.
Europe · sea freight from Lianyungang
Lianyungang to Lubeck
Yellow Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel · Danish Straits
Lithium batteries for Lubeck go out of Lianyungang, where the MSA simplified 'new three' filings in 2024. On the way they face a long Europe voyage extended through the Danish straits into the Baltic, and they arrive at the port of Lubeck.
Germany expects the battery to be registered, labelled and pre-declared before it is loaded in China. The 6 points below are particular to this lane; each comes with what we do and the paperwork it touches.
What we need to start
Route profile
The Baltic is reached only through the Danish straits, where deep-draught ships are advised to take pilots, and its northern ports set ice-class restrictions every winter.
EU Battery Regulation labelling and QR-code dates, stiftung ear registration under the BattDG, and an ICS2 entry summary that must exist before the box is loaded.


Where this route gets difficult
In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Lubeck and at customs in Germany.
Lianyungang MSA's Notice No. 1 of 2024 cut the materials for 'new three' cargo to four on the cargo side: the safe-carriage declaration, the inspector-signed packing certificate, the packaging inspection certificate where packaged, and a power of attorney. Fewer papers means each one carries more weight; the packing certificate still has to be signed by a certified inspector after supervised stuffing.
What Anxin does: We prepare the four cargo-side documents together and check that the packing certificate, the packaging certificate and the declaration describe the same UN numbers and quantities.
For energy storage shipped on break-bulk vessels, Lianyungang MSA's June 2025 guide classes ESS cabinets as UN3480 and ESS containers as UN3536, recommends 20–50% remaining charge, and requires converters and monitoring switched off, series and parallel circuits disconnected, packages spread evenly 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.
Cargo for Lubeck has to pass the Danish straits. IMO recommends pilots on Route T for ships of 11 m draught or more, and the Danish Maritime Authority reports ships that ignore the recommendation to their flag state. Whether the box stays on one vessel or is transhipped onto a feeder at a North Sea port, each vessel has to accept the UN numbers.
What Anxin does: We ask the carrier to name any transhipment port and the feeder operator on the booking and confirm DG acceptance for that leg as well as the mainline.
Article 11 of the Battery Regulation says that from 18 February 2027 portable batteries inside appliances must be readily removable and replaceable by the end-user using commercially available tools, without heat or solvents, except under limited derogations. Appliances sold in Germany after that date need a design that complies.
What Anxin does: When appliances with built-in batteries are booked for Germany we point the importer to the February 2027 date so the manufacturer answers the design question before shipment; we do not assess compliance.
The importer in Germany carries the check: CE marking on the battery and an EU declaration of conformity, translated into the language Germany asks for, have both been required since 18 August 2024 for batteries entering the EU market.
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 Germany importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.
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 Germany 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 Germany importer; we do not test batteries.

Documents & compliance
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; 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 Lianyungang filings, the carrier booking and the Germany 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| One of the four documents inconsistent with the others | Lianyungang MSA filing | Cross-check before submission | Anxin with the declarant |
| 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 |
| Feeder operator does not accept the UN numbers | North Sea hub | DG acceptance for the feeder leg confirmed | Anxin with the carrier |
| Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required language | Importer in Germany | Declaration and CE photo collected before loading | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
The CE marking on the battery and the manufacturer's EU declaration of conformity, which must be available in the language Germany requires. Both have applied since 18 August 2024.
Often, but it depends on the service. The Baltic is reached through the Danish straits, and we ask the carrier to name any transhipment port and confirm DG acceptance for each vessel.
Under its Notice No. 1 of 2024, the cargo side submits the DG safe-carriage declaration, the inspector-signed packing certificate, the packaging inspection certificate where the goods are packaged, and a power of attorney.
References
Next step
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We check carrier acceptance for Lianyungang → Lubeck before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Lianyungang · Germany ports

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