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.
Europe · sea freight from Lianyungang
Lianyungang to IJmuiden
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel
Lithium batteries for IJmuiden go from northern Jiangsu through Lianyungang 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 IJmuiden.
The Dutch side combines an interim registration route with strict port reporting. 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
Route profile
The map shows the Suez corridor, but in September 2026 most Asia–North Europe capacity still sails round the Cape of Good Hope.
A battery register still waiting for Rijkswaterstaat, no collective scheme yet for industrial batteries, a 24-hour dangerous-goods report to the port, and the EU-wide CE and label duties.


Where this route gets difficult
Listed from loading in Lianyungang to import into Netherlands, each with what we do about it.
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.
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.
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 Netherlands 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.
A seagoing vessel with packaged dangerous goods must report to the Dutch port authority at least 24 hours before arrival, or before leaving the previous port on a shorter leg, and the port authority decides where it may berth and discharge. Once ashore, a class 9 box awaiting onward transport stays under the dangerous goods act: nothing may be repacked in storage.
What Anxin does: We keep the UN number, packages and weights on the booking final so the carrier's report is right, and remind the importer that any repacking has to happen after the goods leave the port.
Stationary battery energy storage systems placed on the EU market since 18 August 2024 must be safe in normal operation, with technical documentation showing tests against the Annex V parameters, including thermal shock, short-circuit protection, over-discharge and thermal propagation. ESS buyers in Netherlands increasingly ask for that file before delivery.
What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for Netherlands 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
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.

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 Lianyungang export filings, the carrier booking and the Netherlands 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
| 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 |
| Heavy weather off South Africa | Cape of Good Hope | CINS stuffing and blocking checks before sealing | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| Late or wrong dangerous goods report delays berthing | Dutch port authority | DG data frozen before departure | Carrier / agent |
| Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026 | Importer in Netherlands | Label status confirmed before booking | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
The Rijkswaterstaat register is not yet operational. Producers of portable batteries can register with Stichting OPEN, whose registration number and public producer list serve as best-effort proof in the meantime.
It depends on the service. In September 2026 most Asia–North Europe capacity still sailed round the Cape of Good Hope; Sea-Intelligence put the Red Sea share for North Europe vessels at 27%. We ask the carrier to confirm the routing on the booking and quote each routing separately.
Its June 2025 break-bulk ESS guide recommends 20–50% remaining charge, with converters and monitoring off and circuits disconnected.
References
Next step
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We check carrier acceptance for Lianyungang → IJmuiden before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Lianyungang · Netherlands ports

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