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Europe · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Salerno

Tianjin to Salerno

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

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Salerno, Italy Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Tyrrhenian Sea to Salerno. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIACENTRAL ASIA Taiwan StraitSingapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez Canal TianjinCHINA ORIGIN SalernoITALY 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. Tyrrhenian Sea
  10. SalernoItaly
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.

From Tianjin to Salerno, cargo moves through Tianjin, with its Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals on the Bohai Bay, crosses a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane, and is discharged at the port of Salerno.

Italy expects the producer to be on the Chambers of Commerce battery register before the first sale. 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

  • Bohai Bay winter ice
  • Tianjin Xingang export
  • Italian-language safety information
  • Consignee EORI
  • EU declaration of conformity

Route profile

How Tianjin → Salerno 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.

Import country

Italy

Registration with the Chambers of Commerce battery register (through an Italian representative for foreign producers), the number on every commercial document, 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

6 points to plan for on the Tianjin → Salerno route

In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Salerno and at customs in Italy.

  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. Origin port

    Winter ice at the Haihe mouth

    Sea ice forms every winter in the Bohai Sea, and the Haihe estuary at Tianjin is among the severe areas. In winter 2021/22 China's national marine forecast centre expected the peak ice period from mid-January to mid-February, with floating ice reaching about 5 nautical miles out in Bohai Bay. Ice and cold spells slow port operations around the Chinese New Year shipping peak.

    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

    If the service goes round Africa instead

    The 43% of Mediterranean services not using the Red Sea sail round the Cape of Good Hope, then back through Gibraltar. SAMSA estimates about 200 of the 576 containers lost at sea in 2024 went overboard near the Cape, 35% of the year's total.

    What Anxin does: On Cape sailings we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.

  4. Import country

    The register number belongs on invoices and delivery papers

    Once registered, the producer has 30 days to show its register number on all commercial documents, and each year by 31 March it reports the batteries placed on the Italian market. If the batteries arrive inside equipment, the importer is also an EEE producer and needs the separate RAEE register.

    What Anxin does: We put the Italian register number the importer gives us on the commercial invoice we prepare with the shipper, and ask whether the goods are loose batteries or built into equipment.

  5. Import country

    CE marking and a declaration of conformity in the right language

    Since 18 August 2024 a battery sold in the EU needs the CE marking and an EU declaration of conformity from its manufacturer. The declaration has to be available in the language Italy requires, and the importer is the one who must check both before the goods are released for sale.

    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 Italy importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.

  6. Import country

    The truck leg out of Salerno runs under ADR

    Road delivery from Salerno is an ADR movement, because the EU applies ADR to domestic journeys through Directive 2008/68/EC. For UN 3480 that means class 9, transport category 2 and tunnel code (E), which restricts the route through category E tunnels; batteries found damaged at unloading move to special provision 376 packing (P908 or P911).

    What Anxin does: We give the Italy 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.

Locator map of Salerno, ItalySalerno
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (40.67°N, 14.75°E).
Blue container gantry cranes on a quay at the Port of Algeciras

Documents & compliance

Checklist for Tianjin → Salerno

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

  • Packaging use-appraisal certificate issued before the MSA cargo report is filed
  • Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
  • Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
  • Transport-condition classification report where applicable
  • Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)

For the shipping line

  • Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
  • Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
  • Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)

For the importer in Italy

  • Haulier in Italy briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
  • Italian battery register number of the producer or its representative
  • 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

Match the details first

We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Tianjin filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for Italy before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Salerno.

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
Heavy weather off South Africa on a Cape sailingCape of Good HopeCINS stuffing checksPacking site, checked by Anxin
Commercial documents without the register numberImporter in ItalyNumber added to the invoice before shipmentImporter / shipper
Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required languageImporter in ItalyDeclaration and CE photo collected before loadingManufacturer / importer

Questions

Questions about shipping from Tianjin to Salerno

Not directly. A producer not established in Italy registers through its own representative in Italy, whose Chamber of Commerce handles the filing on registropile.it with a digital signature.

Often: in September 2026, 57% of Asia–Mediterranean services used the Red Sea routing. Bab el-Mandeb was rated a SUBSTANTIAL threat by the JMIC on 24 September 2026, so we confirm each service's routing before booking.

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

  1. Registro dei produttori di pile ed accumulatori (Camera di Commercio di Venezia Rovigo, Ufficio Unico Ambiente)
  2. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  3. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  4. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  5. Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
  6. Tianjin port 2025 cross-border trade facilitation measures (Tianjin Municipal Government (tjjz.gov.cn))
  7. Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))
  8. 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 Salerno
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Tianjin → Salerno

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

All destinations from Tianjin · Italy ports

A truck hauling a teal shipping container on a motorway

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