Tianjin (Xingang)
North China's main container gateway, where Tianjin Customs lets DG containers be inspected at the factory and loaded on arrival within a booked port slot, and where the Bohai Bay freezes at its edges in mid-winter.
Europe · sea freight from Tianjin
Shipping from Tianjin to Burgas
Tianjin to Burgas
Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Bosporus
- TianjinChina origin
- Bohai Sea
- Bohai Strait
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Bosporus
- BurgasBulgaria
This route runs through Tianjin, with its Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals on the Bohai Bay, then follows a corridor through the Turkish Straits; at the far end is the port of Burgas.
The Bulgaria side follows the EU battery and customs pre-filing 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
- Tianjin Xingang export
- Factory-supervised loading
- National producer registration
- EU declaration of conformity
- Consignee EORI
Route profile
What sets Tianjin → Burgas apart
Asia – Black Sea via Suez and the Turkish Straits
Suez, the Aegean and the Turkish Straits, with a 24-hour DG sailing plan before the Bosporus and, since September 2026, almost the whole Black Sea on the war-risk list.
Where this route gets difficult
Where Tianjin → Burgas shipments get held up: 5 points
Listed from loading in Tianjin to import into Bulgaria, each with what we do about it.
- Origin port
A slow document review at Tianjin can mean a missed vessel
Tianjin MSA itself said in July 2026 that, under the traditional review model, long document reviews often made firms miss the vessel's document cut-off, leaving cargo in port to be re-allocated to another ship. Its new fast-track green channel (appointment-based, more than 50% faster, with a fixed document list) is for new-energy-vehicle cargo; battery shipments should not assume they qualify.
What Anxin does: We submit the cargo report with the full document set (safe-carriage declaration, SDS, packing certificate, packaging certificate) days before the cut-off rather than on the day, and treat any MSA query as same-day work.
- Origin port
At Tianjin the port slot is booked before the truck leaves the factory
Tianjin Customs runs a 'supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival' model for dangerous goods: officers oversee stuffing at the factory, the declaration goes in early through the single window, and the container enters the port in a slot booked on the customs–port platform and goes straight to the ship. Any inspection happens in closed yards inside the Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals. The time saved depends on the stuffing date, the slot and the declared data all matching.
What Anxin does: We fix the stuffing date against the vessel's DG cut-off first, then book the entry slot, and check that the declaration, the packing certificate and the container number agree before the truck leaves, so the box is not diverted to an inspection yard for a data mismatch.
- Sea corridor
Turkish Straits: Sailing Plan 1 a day ahead
Before entering the Turkish Straits, a ship with dangerous cargo files Sailing Plan 1 with the Turkish Straits VTS at least 24 hours ahead, listing the dangerous goods classes on board. A class 9 battery container is part of that list, so wrong or late DG data on the manifest can delay the ship at the entrance.
What Anxin does: We make sure the DG manifest data (UN number, class, quantity, container number) are final and match the booking before the vessel leaves the last port before the straits.
- Import country
A producer registration in Bulgaria before the first sale
Registration under the Battery Regulation is Member State by Member State. The first company to make the batteries available in Bulgaria has to appear in the national register, which can take up to 12 weeks after a complete file, and a non-resident brand must work through an authorised representative there.
What Anxin does: At booking we ask which company is the producer of record in Bulgaria and for its registration number there, so a missing registration surfaces while the goods are still in Tianjin rather than after discharge in Burgas.
- Import country
User-replaceable batteries in appliances from 18 February 2027
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 Bulgaria after that date need a design that complies.
What Anxin does: When appliances with built-in batteries are booked for Bulgaria we point the importer to the February 2027 date so the manufacturer answers the design question before shipment; we do not assess compliance.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Tianjin → Burgas
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
Before loading in Tianjin
- Stuffing date, port-entry slot and DG cut-off at Tianjin agreed in that order
- Importer name, trade name and postal address printed on battery or packaging
- 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
Carrier and voyage
- Final DG manifest data ready before the vessel reaches the Turkish Straits
- War-risk surcharge for the Black Sea port stated in writing
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
For the importer in Bulgaria
- Producer of record in Bulgaria and its national registration number
- Haulier in Bulgaria briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
Before you book
Send the file once, complete
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 Tianjin filings, the carrier booking and the Bulgaria 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
Risks on this route and who deals with them
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box sent to the terminal inspection yard because declared data do not match | Beijiang / Dongjiang terminals | Declaration, packing certificate and container number cross-checked before trucking | Anxin |
| Document review runs past the vessel cut-off; cargo re-allocated to a later ship | Tianjin MSA review | Complete document set filed days before cut-off | Anxin with the declarant |
| Incorrect DG data in the straits sailing plan | Turkish Straits | Manifest checked against the booking | Carrier, with data from Anxin |
| No producer registration in Bulgaria when the goods arrive | Bulgaria market surveillance | Producer of record and registration number confirmed at booking | Importer / brand owner |
Questions
Common questions on the Tianjin → Burgas 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.
Possibly. Since 16 September 2026 almost the whole Black Sea, outside Turkish, Georgian, Bulgarian and Romanian territorial waters, is a Joint War Committee listed area, and underwriters may charge additional premiums. We get the carrier's surcharge in writing.
Tianjin Customs offers a 'supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival' model: stuffing is supervised at the factory, the box enters the port in a booked slot and is loaded directly. Whether a given shipment can use it depends on the customs arrangement for the exporter and the port slot; we check both when you book.
References
Regulations and port sources cited
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- 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)
- Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulation (English translation) (Republic of Türkiye (translation published by VDA))
- Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
- Tianjin MSA opens a green channel for new-energy-vehicle shipments (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administration)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Tianjin
- 5ImportClearance at Burgas
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Burgas before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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