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Europe · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Varna

Tianjin to Varna

Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Bosporus

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Varna, Bulgaria Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Bosporus to Varna. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIACENTRAL ASIA Taiwan StraitSingapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez Canal TianjinCHINA ORIGIN VarnaBULGARIA TianjinBOHAI SEAYELLOW SEASHANDONGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. TianjinChina origin
  2. Bohai Sea
  3. Bohai Strait
  4. Taiwan Strait
  5. Malacca Strait
  6. Indian Ocean
  7. Bab-el-Mandeb
  8. Suez Canal
  9. Bosporus
  10. VarnaBulgaria
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 Varna go out of Tianjin's Xingang terminals, where customs can supervise stuffing at the factory and the box goes straight to the ship on a booked slot. On the way they face a corridor through the Turkish Straits, and they arrive at the port of Varna.

Bulgaria applies the EU Battery Regulation, starting with registration in its own national producer register. 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

  • Tianjin Xingang export
  • Factory-supervised loading
  • EU declaration of conformity
  • Consignee EORI
  • National producer registration
Ask about this route Bulgaria ports from Tianjin

Route profile

What sets Tianjin → Varna apart

Origin port

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.

Import country

Bulgaria

The EU Battery Regulation's national registration, CE marking and label duties, and the ICS2 entry summary before loading.

Container gantry cranes at a Tianjin port container terminal
A container ship under way off the Guatemalan coast

Where this route gets difficult

Where Tianjin → Varna shipments get held up: 6 points

Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Varna and the Bulgaria market.

  1. Origin port

    Packaging appraisal comes first, even with Tianjin's quicker release

    China requires use appraisal of export dangerous-goods packaging before the goods may be exported. Tianjin port's 2025 facilitation measures shortened packaging appraisal time for lithium battery exports through quick release, and Tianjin Port Group provides port services for lithium DG containers, but the appraisal certificate is still a precondition for the rest of the filing.

    What Anxin does: We check at quotation that the packaging maker has its performance appraisal and apply for the use appraisal as soon as the packing is fixed, so the certificate is in hand before the MSA filing.

  2. Origin port

    Ice at the Haihe estuary in winter

    Every winter the Bohai Sea ices over, and the Haihe estuary at Tianjin is one of the harder-hit areas. For 2021/22 the national marine forecast centre put the peak ice period between mid-January and mid-February, with floating ice about 5 nautical miles out in Bohai Bay. Ice and cold slow port work just as the Chinese New Year peak arrives.

    What Anxin does: For January and February sailings from Tianjin we add slack between stuffing and the DG cut-off and confirm the vessel's berthing window with the carrier the week before loading.

  3. Sea corridor

    Suez first, and Bab el-Mandeb before that

    The Black Sea is reached through Suez. Mediterranean-type services used the Red Sea routing 57% of the time in September 2026, and the JMIC rated Bab el-Mandeb SUBSTANTIAL, with the Houthis holding Perim Island in the channel.

    What Anxin does: We ask the carrier which routing the service uses and name it on the quote.

  4. Import country

    The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Tianjin

    For Varna, EU security pre-filing happens at the other end of the voyage: the ICS2 entry summary must reach the system 24 hours before the container is loaded in Tianjin. No filing means no loading, and a missing EORI number is enough to reject it.

    What Anxin does: We collect the consignee's EORI number, an HS-level goods description and the house-bill parties at booking, and make sure the party filing the ENS has them before the Tianjin cut-off.

  5. Import country

    The truck leg out of Varna runs under ADR

    Once the container leaves the terminal by road, ADR applies: Directive 2008/68/EC makes EU countries use it for domestic dangerous goods journeys as well as international ones. UN 3480 is class 9, transport category 2, with tunnel restriction code (E), so the haulier in Bulgaria has to plan around category E tunnels, and damaged or defective batteries fall under special provision 376 and packing instructions P908 or P911 instead of P903.

    What Anxin does: We give the Bulgaria haulier the same UN number, class and package details that appear on the sea dangerous goods declaration, so the ADR transport document matches the container paperwork from Tianjin.

  6. Import country

    Due diligence on battery raw materials from August 2027

    Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 pushed the Battery Regulation's due diligence duties for cobalt, lithium, nickel and natural graphite back to 18 August 2027 and gave the Commission until 26 July 2026 for its guidelines. Buyers in Bulgaria are already collecting the supply-chain information they will need.

    What Anxin does: We pass the Bulgaria buyer's due diligence questions to the manufacturer and keep their answers with the shipment file; the policy itself remains the producer's responsibility.

Locator map of Varna, BulgariaVarna
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (43.18°N, 27.97°E).
Blue container gantry cranes on a quay at the Port of Algeciras

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Tianjin to Varna

Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.

At the Tianjin end

  • Packaging use-appraisal certificate issued before the MSA cargo report is filed
  • 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

For the carrier and the 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

  • Haulier in Bulgaria briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
  • Producer of record in Bulgaria and its national registration number
  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
Cartons on a pallet being stretch-wrapped
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

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Ice or cold spell slows berthing in mid-winterBohai Bay, Jan–FebSlack between stuffing and cut-off; berthing window reconfirmedCarrier, monitored by Anxin
ENS not filed and the box is refused at loadingLoading port, TianjinEORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at bookingFiler (carrier / forwarder)
Road route planned through a category E tunnelRoad leg from VarnaTunnel code (E) passed to the haulier with the transport dataHaulier / forwarder

Questions

Tianjin → Varna: questions we are asked

No. Under the Battery Regulation producers register in each Member State where they first make batteries available, and the authority has up to 12 weeks to grant a complete application. A producer without an establishment in Bulgaria needs an authorised representative there.

A Sailing Plan 1 to the Turkish Straits VTS at least 24 hours before entry, including the dangerous cargo classes on board.

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

  1. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  2. Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 as regards due diligence obligations (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  3. ICS2 Release 3: Prepare your business for sending goods to or via the EU by sea and inland waterways (European Commission, DG TAXUD (leaflet KP0423828ENN))
  4. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  5. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  6. Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulation (English translation) (Republic of Türkiye (translation published by VDA))
  7. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  8. Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
  9. Tianjin port 2025 cross-border trade facilitation measures (Tianjin Municipal Government (tjjz.gov.cn))
  10. Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))
  11. Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))

Next step

From enquiry to import

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

Ask about Tianjin → Varna

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 Tianjin → Varna before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Tianjin · Bulgaria ports

A truck hauling a teal shipping container on a motorway

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