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Europe · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Nordenham

Tianjin to Nordenham

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

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Nordenham, Germany Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar, English Channel to Nordenham. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIAAFRICACENTRAL ASIA Singapore / MalaccaBab-el-MandebSuez CanalGibraltarEnglish Channel TianjinCHINA ORIGIN NordenhamGERMANY TianjinBOHAI SEAYELLOW SEASHANDONGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. TianjinChina origin
  2. Bohai Sea
  3. Bohai Strait
  4. Malacca Strait
  5. Indian Ocean
  6. Bab-el-Mandeb
  7. Suez Canal
  8. Strait of Gibraltar
  9. English Channel
  10. NordenhamGermany
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 Nordenham go from North China through Tianjin Xingang. On the way they face a voyage that may run through Suez as drawn or round the Cape, depending on the service, and they arrive at the port of Nordenham.

Germany expects the battery to be registered, labelled and pre-declared before it is loaded in China. This page sets out 5 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.

What we need to start

  • Tianjin Xingang export
  • Factory-supervised loading
  • Consignee EORI
  • Batt-Reg.-Nr. DE
  • German-language safety information
Ask about this route Germany ports from Tianjin

Route profile

How Tianjin → Nordenham differs from other lanes

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.

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.

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

Where this route gets difficult

Where Tianjin → Nordenham shipments get held up: 5 points

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

  1. Origin port

    Packaging appraisal is still the first step at Tianjin

    Export dangerous-goods packaging must pass use appraisal in China before the goods can leave. Tianjin port's 2025 measures shortened appraisal time for lithium battery exports through quick release, and Tianjin Port Group handles lithium DG containers, but without the appraisal certificate the rest of the filing cannot proceed.

    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. Sea corridor

    The inbound leg's emissions now count under EU ETS

    Because Nordenham is an EU port, container ships of 5,000 GT or more calling there fall under the EU Emissions Trading System, which covers half the emissions of the voyage from China. Lines surrendered allowances for 70% of those emissions in 2025 and must cover 100% from 2027, a cost that can reach shippers as a surcharge.

    What Anxin does: We ask for the emissions surcharge to be shown as its own line in the quote, with the basis the carrier uses, so that successive quotes can be compared like for like.

  3. Import country

    ICS2 entry summary before loading, not before arrival

    EU pre-arrival security filing moved to ICS2 Release 3: sea cargo needs a complete Entry Summary Declaration, and forwarders issuing house bills of lading have had to file or pass house-level data since 1 April 2025. For deep-sea containers the ENS is due 24 hours before loading at the departure port, and carriers apply 'no manifest, no load'. A missing EORI number is enough for the filing to be rejected.

    What Anxin does: We collect the consignee's EORI number, a goods description at HS level and the house-level parties at booking, and make sure they reach whoever files the ENS ahead of the Tianjin loading cut-off.

  4. Import country

    The truck leg out of Nordenham 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 Germany 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 Germany 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.

  5. Import country

    Supply-chain due diligence moved to August 2027

    The Battery Regulation's due diligence obligations on cobalt, lithium, nickel and natural graphite were postponed by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 and now apply from 18 August 2027, with Commission guidelines due by 26 July 2026. Buyers in Germany are already asking suppliers for the supply-chain data they will need.

    What Anxin does: We pass the Germany 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 Nordenham, GermanyNordenham
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (53.48°N, 8.48°E).
Container gantry cranes at the Burchardkai terminal in Hamburg

Documents & compliance

Documents to line up for Tianjin → Nordenham

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

In Tianjin, before the box is loaded

  • 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 shipping line

  • 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 Germany

  • Consignee EORI number and the party filing the ICS2 entry summary
  • Instructions and safety information in German in the retail packaging
  • Producer / authorised representative for Germany and the Batt-Reg.-Nr. DE for each brand and battery category
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 Germany 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 → Nordenham

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailingEU port callSurcharge shown as a separate line with its basisCarrier, checked by Anxin
ENS not lodged in timeLoading port in ChinaHouse-level data and EORI collected at booking and passed to the filer ahead of the loading cut-offAnxin with the ENS filer
Road route planned through a category E tunnelRoad leg from NordenhamTunnel code (E) passed to the haulier with the transport dataHaulier / forwarder

Questions

Tianjin → Nordenham: 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.

The green channel Tianjin MSA announced in July 2026 is for new-energy-vehicle cargo. For battery containers we plan on the normal review and file early, because Tianjin MSA has said long reviews under the traditional model often cost firms their vessel cut-off.

References

Official sources for this page

  1. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (consolidated text) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  2. Applying for a battery registration at stiftung ear (stiftung elektro-altgeräte register (stiftung ear))
  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) 2025/1561 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 as regards due diligence obligations (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  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. Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
  8. Tianjin MSA opens a green channel for new-energy-vehicle shipments (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administration)
  9. Tianjin port 2025 cross-border trade facilitation measures (Tianjin Municipal Government (tjjz.gov.cn))
  10. 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 Nordenham
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Tianjin → Nordenham

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

All destinations from Tianjin · Germany ports

A forklift moving palletised cartons in a warehouse

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