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Europe · sea freight from Shanghai

Shipping from Shanghai to Izmir

Shanghai to Izmir

East China Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Mediterranean Sea · Aegean Sea

Sea corridor illustration: Shanghai to Izmir, Turkey Simplified map with a curved corridor from Shanghai via East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea to Izmir. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIASOUTH CHINA SEA Taiwan StraitSingapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez Canal ShanghaiCHINA ORIGIN IzmirTURKEY ShanghaiEAST CHINA SEAJIANGSUZHEJIANGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. ShanghaiChina origin
  2. East China Sea
  3. Taiwan Strait
  4. Malacca Strait
  5. Indian Ocean
  6. Bab-el-Mandeb
  7. Suez Canal
  8. Mediterranean Sea
  9. Aegean Sea
  10. IzmirTurkey
Geographic corridor illustration only, not a vessel track, port-call list or sailing schedule. The loading terminal, carrier, transshipment and dates are confirmed per shipment.

Lithium batteries for Izmir go through Yangshan or Waigaoqiao under Shanghai MSA's photo-verified packing rules. On the way they face a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and they arrive at the port of Izmir.

On the Turkish side battery importers need TAP membership and a TAREKS environmental compliance permit. 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

  • Photo-verified packing certificate
  • Yangshan / Waigaoqiao export
  • CE declaration of conformity
  • Özet beyan 24 h before loading
  • TAP membership + Çevre Uyum İzni
Ask about this route Turkey ports from Shanghai

Route profile

How Shanghai → Izmir differs from other lanes

Origin port

Shanghai (Yangshan / Waigaoqiao)

Yangshan and Waigaoqiao exports under Shanghai MSA's photo-verified packing system, where a mismatch between photos and EDI data keeps a DG box off the ship.

Sea corridor

Asia – Mediterranean via Suez

Mediterranean services are the ones most likely to use Suez again (57% in September 2026), which puts the cargo back through Bab el-Mandeb, rated a SUBSTANTIAL threat.

Yangshan deep-water port near Shanghai seen from a hillside, with container stacks and gantry cranes
A container ship under way off the Guatemalan coast

Where this route gets difficult

5 pain points from Shanghai to Izmir

Listed from loading in Shanghai to import into Turkey, each with what we do about it.

  1. Origin port

    Shanghai's photo-verified packing certificate

    At Shanghai the packing inspector must upload photos taken before, during and after stuffing through the MSA's remote system, with face recognition and phone location on, before the electronic packing certificate goes out by EDI. A container is not loaded if the photos are missing, uploaded late, taken outside the verified stuffing site, or do not match the EDI cargo data. Stuffing sites outside Shanghai must be registered with Shanghai MSA.

    What Anxin does: We confirm that the stuffing site (including factory sites in Jiangsu or Zhejiang) is registered for Shanghai's remote system, and we check the photo upload against the EDI data before the packing certificate is sent.

  2. 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 Izmir 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 Izmir uses and name it on the quote, together with any war-risk or emergency surcharge.

  3. Import country

    TAP membership, then a TAREKS environmental permit

    Battery importers in Türkiye have to join TAP, the Ministry-authorised association for portable battery producers and importers, or its system. TAP's board decides within 30 days; only then can the importer apply through TAREKS for the Ministry's environmental compliance permit (Çevre Uyum İzni).

    What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the Turkish importer for its TAP membership and permit status, so a first-time importer starts the 30-day process before the goods leave Shanghai.

  4. Import country

    TAREKS inspection before the customs declaration

    Under Communiqué 2017/15, battery imports are inspected through the TAREKS system on a risk-analysis basis, and the inspection happens before the customs declaration can be registered. The importer is legally responsible for the goods' compliance, so conformity documents need to be ready when the container reaches Izmir.

    What Anxin does: We send the importer the manufacturer's declaration of conformity, test reports and product photos before loading, for its TAREKS application.

  5. Import country

    CE evidence and an invoice in triplicate

    For products under EU CE-marking directives, Türkiye asks for evidence of CE marking, either a notified-body certificate or a manufacturer's declaration of conformity citing the directives and harmonised standards. The commercial invoice goes in triplicate with HS code and origin, the certificate of origin must have no corrections, and the original bill of lading plus three copies must match.

    What Anxin does: We check the declaration of conformity, invoice and certificate of origin against each other before the originals are sent to the importer in Turkey.

Locator map of Izmir, TurkeyIzmir
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (38.45°N, 27.15°E).
Aerial view of a container yard with rows of colourful containers at the Port of Barcelona

Documents & compliance

Documents to line up for Shanghai → Izmir

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 Shanghai, before the box is loaded

  • Stuffing photos (before, during, after) uploaded to Shanghai MSA's remote system before the EDI packing certificate is sent
  • Stuffing site registered and geo-verified with Shanghai MSA; fire-safety proof for lithium DG warehouses
  • 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)

For the carrier and the voyage

  • Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
  • Consignee, HS-level description and DG data to the özet beyan filer at booking
  • UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type

At the Turkey end

  • Importer's TAP membership and Çevre Uyum İzni (TAREKS)
Two power-tool battery packs side by side
Before you book

Match the details first

We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Shanghai filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for Turkey before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Izmir.

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

Risks on this route and who deals with them

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Container refused for loading: photos late, off-site or not matching EDI dataYangshan / WaigaoqiaoPhoto upload checked against EDI data before the certificate is sentPacking inspector, checked by Anxin
Security incident near Bab el-Mandeb changes the routing or adds surchargesSouthern Red SeaRouting and surcharges stated in writing before bookingCarrier, checked by Anxin
Importer not in a collection system; no environmental permitTurkish importerTAP and permit status checked before bookingImporter
TAREKS inspection delays the customs declarationPort of dischargeConformity documents sent before loadingImporter / manufacturer

Questions

Common questions on the Shanghai → Izmir route

Membership of TAP (or its system), decided within 30 days, and then an environmental compliance permit applied for through TAREKS; GEKAP is also payable on batteries placed on the market.

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.

It can, but Shanghai MSA checks the phone location of the packing photos against a verified stuffing site, and sites outside Shanghai must be registered with it. We confirm registration before the stuffing date; otherwise the container can be refused for loading.

References

Where these points come from

  1. Sıkça sorulan sorular: Özet beyan (T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı)
  2. Türkiye: Import Requirements and Documentation (last published 2026-01-29) (International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce)
  3. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  4. Notice on the trial of the remote smart management system for DG container packing (Chinese), 12 November 2021 (Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration)

Next step

From enquiry to import

  1. 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
  2. 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
  3. 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
  4. 4HandoverAt Shanghai
  5. 5ImportClearance at Izmir
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Shanghai → Izmir

Origin and destination are filled in; add the cargo facts you have.

Sending this form starts a review; it does not confirm carriage. Full enquiry form

After you send it

We check carrier acceptance for Shanghai → Izmir before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Shanghai · Turkey ports

Workers loading cartons from pallets by hand in a warehouse

Need Shanghai → Izmir reviewed?

Share the cargo facts; we review the route in writing.

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