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Europe · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Nantes

Tianjin to Nantes

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

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Nantes, France Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar to Nantes. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIAAFRICAEUROPEINDIAN OCEAN Taiwan StraitSingapore / MalaccaBab-el-MandebSuez CanalGibraltar TianjinCHINA ORIGIN NantesFRANCE 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. Strait of Gibraltar
  10. NantesFrance
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.

This route runs through Tianjin, with its Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals on the Bohai Bay, then follows a voyage that may run through Suez as drawn or round the Cape, depending on the service; at the far end is the port of Nantes.

France asks for a batteries IDU and eco-organisme membership before the first sale. 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

  • Factory-supervised loading
  • Bohai Bay winter ice
  • French-language safety information
  • Consignee EORI
  • EU declaration of conformity
Ask about this route France ports from Tianjin

Route profile

The Tianjin → Nantes route in brief

Sea corridor

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.

Import country

France

An IDU from SYDEREP for the batteries stream, eco-organisme membership now required for every battery category, and the EU-wide CE and label duties.

Container gantry cranes at a Tianjin port container terminal
A loaded container ship on the horizon

Where this route gets difficult

Where Tianjin → Nantes shipments get held up: 5 points

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

  1. 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.

  2. Sea corridor

    Cape waters saw about a third of 2024's container losses

    Round-Africa routing puts battery containers through South African waters. Of the 576 containers the World Shipping Council recorded as lost at sea in 2024, the South African Maritime Safety Authority estimates about 200, roughly 35%, went overboard near the Cape. In August 2024 alone, SAMSA reported 99 boxes lost from the CMA CGM Belem off Richards Bay and 46 from the MSC Antonio off Port St Johns in wintry 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.

  3. Import country

    The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Tianjin

    For Nantes, 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.

  4. Import country

    The IDU: France's proof that the producer is registered

    Every producer in a French REP stream has needed a unique identifier since 2022, and it is the proof of registration in ADEME's SYDEREP register. When the producer joins an eco-organisme, the eco-organisme does the registration; the IDU then has to appear in the terms of sale or on the website and be given to buyers who ask.

    What Anxin does: We ask the French importer for the batteries-stream IDU of whoever acts as producer before we book, so the buyer's own IDU check does not stop the goods after they reach Nantes.

  5. Import country

    The importer's name and address on the battery

    The Battery Regulation asks the importer to put its own name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal address, with a single contact point, on the battery. Only when the battery's size or nature makes that impossible may the details move to the packaging or an accompanying document, so a France importer's details need to reach the factory before printing.

    What Anxin does: We pass the France importer's name and address block to the manufacturer before the goods are packed in China and check carton or battery photos for it before loading.

Locator map of Nantes, FranceNantes
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (47.20°N, 1.57°W).
Container gantry cranes at the Burchardkai terminal in Hamburg

Documents & compliance

Documents to line up for Tianjin → Nantes

Test reports, safety data sheets and import certificates come from the shipper, factory and importer, not from Anxin; our part is to review them before booking.

In Tianjin, before the box is loaded

  • Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
  • EU declaration of conformity and CE marking photo from the manufacturer
  • 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

Carrier and voyage

  • Routing (Suez or Cape of Good Hope) and any transhipment port stated on the booking confirmation
  • Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
  • Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards

For the importer in France

  • Batteries-stream IDU of the producer of record in France
  • Eco-organisme (or approved individual system) for the battery category
  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
A shrink-wrapped lithium-ion battery pack for a small electric vehicle
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 France 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

What could go wrong from Tianjin to Nantes, and who acts

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
Heavy weather off South AfricaCape of Good HopeCINS stuffing and blocking checks before sealingPacking site, checked by Anxin
Buyer cannot verify an IDU and holds the orderImporter in FranceIDU obtained before bookingImporter / producer
ENS not filed and the box is refused at loadingLoading port, TianjinEORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at bookingFiler (carrier / forwarder)

Questions

Tianjin → Nantes: questions we are asked

ADR, which the EU applies to domestic journeys through Directive 2008/68/EC. UN 3480 is class 9, transport category 2, with tunnel restriction code (E).

Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports are in the EU Emissions Trading System, covering 50% of the emissions of a voyage from outside the EU. Lines must surrender allowances for 70% of 2025 emissions and 100% from 2027, and may pass the cost on as a surcharge.

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. Identifiant unique (IDU) des filières REP (ADEME, Filières REP)
  2. Filière REP Batteries (BAT) (ADEME, Filières REP)
  3. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  4. 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))
  5. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  6. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  7. Search on for containers lost overboard off South Africa's Indian Ocean coast (South African Maritime Safety Authority)
  8. Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
  9. Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
  10. Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))

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 Nantes
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Tianjin → Nantes

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

All destinations from Tianjin · France ports

Workers loading cartons from pallets by hand in a warehouse

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