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Europe · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Cartagena

Tianjin to Cartagena

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

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Cartagena, Spain Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Sicily Channel to Cartagena. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIAAFRICACENTRAL ASIAINDIAN OCEAN Taiwan StraitSingapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez Canal TianjinCHINA ORIGIN CartagenaSPAIN 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. Sicily Channel
  10. CartagenaSpain
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 Cartagena, cargo moves from North China through Tianjin Xingang, crosses a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane, and is discharged at the port of Cartagena.

Spain wants the producer on the RII-PYA register, with its number on the invoice. 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
  • EU declaration of conformity
  • RII-PYA number
Ask about this route Spain ports from Tianjin

Route profile

The Tianjin → Cartagena route in brief

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

Spain

Spain's RII-PYA number on invoices, quarterly data that counts batteries inside equipment, EU importer duties and ADR for the road leg.

Container gantry cranes at a Tianjin port container terminal
A cargo ship at anchor in calm water under a clear sky

Where this route gets difficult

Where Tianjin → Cartagena shipments get held up: 5 points

They run from the Tianjin terminal through the voyage to Cartagena and the Spain import file.

  1. 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.

  2. Sea corridor

    EU emissions trading now covers the whole inbound voyage share

    Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports, Cartagena included, are in the EU Emissions Trading System: 50% of the emissions of a voyage from China are covered, and the share of emissions for which lines must surrender allowances rises from 70% (for 2025 emissions) to 100% from 2027. Carriers can pass that cost on 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

    The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Tianjin

    For Cartagena, 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

    Safety documentation for stationary storage systems

    Since 18 August 2024 a stationary battery energy storage system placed on the EU market must be safe in normal operation, and its technical documentation must show testing against the Annex V safety parameters, from thermal shock and short-circuit protection to over-discharge and thermal propagation. Buyers of ESS cabinets in Spain increasingly ask for that file before delivery.

    What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for Spain we ask the manufacturer to confirm that the Annex V test documentation exists before booking and note the answer in the shipment file.

  5. 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 Spain are already collecting the supply-chain information they will need.

    What Anxin does: We pass the Spain 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 Cartagena, SpainCartagena
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (37.58°N, 0.98°W).
Blue container gantry cranes on a quay at the Port of Algeciras

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Tianjin to Cartagena

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.

At the Tianjin end

  • Stuffing date, port-entry slot and DG cut-off at Tianjin agreed in that order
  • 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)
  • Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
  • Transport-condition classification report where applicable

For the shipping line

  • Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
  • 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 import into Spain

  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
  • Instructions and safety information in the language Spain requires
Two power-tool battery packs side by side
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 Spain before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Cartagena.

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 → Cartagena

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Box sent to the terminal inspection yard because declared data do not matchBeijiang / Dongjiang terminalsDeclaration, packing certificate and container number cross-checked before truckingAnxin
Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailingEU port callSurcharge shown as a separate lineCarrier, checked 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)
Storage system delivered without Annex V test fileBuyer in SpainTest documentation confirmed before bookingManufacturer

Questions

Questions about shipping from Tianjin to Cartagena

24 hours before the container is loaded in China, not before it reaches Cartagena. Without it carriers do not load the box, and a filing without an EORI number is rejected.

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

Regulations and port sources cited

  1. Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 as regards due diligence obligations (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  2. 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))
  3. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  4. Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
  5. Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
  6. 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 Cartagena
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Tianjin → Cartagena

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

All destinations from Tianjin · Spain ports

A forklift loading goods into an open shipping container

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