Qingdao (Qianwan)
Qianwan exports from Shandong, where Qingdao MSA's one-document pilot cuts repeat filings for cargo moved between terminals by water.
Europe · sea freight from Qingdao
Qingdao to Shannon Foynes
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · Celtic Sea
Lithium batteries for Shannon Foynes go from Shandong through Qingdao's Qianwan terminals, where Qingdao MSA pilots one-document transhipment. On the way they face a lane whose routing, Suez or Cape of Good Hope, is decided service by service, and they arrive at the port of Shannon Foynes.
The Irish side adds PRL registration to the EU battery rules. Below are 5 route-specific points to plan for, what we do about each, and the documents to have ready before booking.
What we need to start
Route profile
Qianwan exports from Shandong, where Qingdao MSA's one-document pilot cuts repeat filings for cargo moved between terminals by water.
The map shows the Suez corridor, but in September 2026 most Asia–North Europe capacity still sails round the Cape of Good Hope.


Where this route gets difficult
They run from the Qingdao terminal through the voyage to Shannon Foynes and the Ireland import file.
Qingdao MSA's 'one-document, one-box' pilot has since November 2024 covered water-to-water transhipment of lithium batteries and other 'new three' cargo between Dagang and Qianwan, with one outbound cargo report and no more than one packing inspection within the pilot ports. In the launch case, three cargo and three ship reports became one cargo and two ship reports.
What Anxin does: If your cargo is stuffed at a Dagang yard or reaches Qianwan by water, we check at booking whether it qualifies for the pilot and file once, so the box is not reopened between terminals.
Because Shannon Foynes is an EU port, container ships of 5,000 GT or more calling there fall under the EU Emissions Trading System, which covers half the emissions of the voyage from China. Lines surrendered allowances for 70% of those emissions in 2025 and must cover 100% from 2027, a cost that can reach shippers as a surcharge.
What Anxin does: We ask for the emissions surcharge to be shown as its own line in the quote, with the basis the carrier uses, so that successive quotes can be compared like for like.
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 Ireland 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.
Importers must make sure batteries come with instructions and safety information in a language end-users in Ireland easily understand, as that Member State decides. Printed inserts and carton text are far easier to change before the goods are packed in China.
What Anxin does: We ask the importer which language Ireland requires and check carton and insert photos against it before loading.
For portable batteries, Annex I sets maximum levels of 0.0005 % mercury, 0.002 % cadmium and 0.01 % lead by weight, the lead limit applying since 18 August 2024. The importer in Ireland may be asked by market surveillance to demonstrate compliance.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the Ireland importer; we do not test batteries.

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.

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 Qingdao filings, the carrier booking and the Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duplicate filing or reopening between Qingdao terminals | Dagang → Qianwan | Pilot eligibility checked at booking; single cargo report | Anxin with the declarant |
| Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailing | EU port call | Surcharge shown as a separate line with its basis | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026 | Importer in Ireland | Label status confirmed before booking | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
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.
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.
Under Qingdao MSA's 'one-document, one-box' pilot (since November 2024), water-to-water transhipment between Dagang and Qianwan needs one outbound cargo report and at most one packing inspection. We confirm eligibility at booking.
References
Next step
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We check carrier acceptance for Qingdao → Shannon Foynes before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Qingdao · Ireland ports

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