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.
Europe · sea freight from Tianjin
Shipping from Tianjin to Saint-Malo
Tianjin to Saint-Malo
Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel
- TianjinChina origin
- Bohai Sea
- Bohai Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Strait of Gibraltar
- English Channel
- Saint-MaloFrance
Lithium batteries for Saint-Malo go through Tianjin, with its Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals on the Bohai Bay. 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 Saint-Malo.
The French side checks the producer's unique identifier (IDU) as well as 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
- Factory-supervised loading
- Bohai Bay winter ice
- IDU (batteries stream)
- French-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
Route profile
What sets Tianjin → Saint-Malo apart
France
A SYDEREP IDU and eco-organisme membership for every battery category, with EU duties from CE marking to the importer's address on the battery.
Where this route gets difficult
5 pain points from Tianjin to Saint-Malo
Listed from loading in Tianjin to import into France, each with what we do about it.
- Origin port
Tianjin's supervised factory loading and port slots
Under Tianjin Customs' 'supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival' model, officers supervise stuffing at the factory, the declaration is lodged early through the single window, and the box enters the port in a slot booked on the customs–port platform before going straight to the ship; inspections take place in closed yards at the Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals. The gain holds only if stuffing date, slot and declared data agree.
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
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.
- Import country
CE marking and a declaration of conformity in the right language
The importer in France carries the check: CE marking on the battery and an EU declaration of conformity, translated into the language France asks for, have both been required since 18 August 2024 for batteries entering the EU market.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer in China for the declaration of conformity and a photo of the CE marking on the battery or its packaging before loading, and pass them to the France importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.
- Import country
Safety information in a language France accepts
An importer has to ensure that batteries are accompanied by instructions and safety information in a language that end-users in France can easily understand, as the Member State determines. Inserts and carton print are much simpler to adjust before packing in China.
What Anxin does: We ask the importer which language France requires and check carton and insert photos against it before loading.
- Import country
Battery label from August 2026, QR code from February 2027
Two marking dates fall into current shipping plans for France: the general label from 18 August 2026 and the QR code from 18 February 2027, which for EV, LMT and larger industrial batteries has to open the battery passport.
What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the France 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.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Tianjin → Saint-Malo
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 Tianjin, before the box is loaded
- Stuffing date, port-entry slot and DG cut-off at Tianjin agreed in that order
- 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
- Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
Carrier and voyage
- Routing (Suez or Cape of Good Hope) and any transhipment port stated on the booking confirmation
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
- Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
For import into France
- Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
- Eco-organisme (or approved individual system) for the battery category
- Haulier in France briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
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
Risk table for Tianjin → Saint-Malo
| 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 |
| Heavy weather off South Africa | Cape of Good Hope | CINS stuffing and blocking checks before sealing | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required language | Importer in France | Declaration and CE photo collected before loading | Manufacturer / importer |
| Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026 | Importer in France | Label status confirmed before booking | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
Common questions on the Tianjin → Saint-Malo route
Yes. Since 18 August 2025 all battery categories, industrial and EV included, must be covered by an approved eco-organisme or an approved individual system.
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
Where these points come from
- Filière REP Batteries (BAT) (ADEME, Filières REP)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
- Search on for containers lost overboard off South Africa's Indian Ocean coast (South African Maritime Safety Authority)
- Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
- Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
- Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Tianjin
- 5ImportClearance at Saint-Malo
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Saint-Malo before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Tianjin · France ports
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