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.
Europe · sea freight from Tianjin
Shipping from Tianjin to Sullom Voe
Tianjin to Sullom Voe
Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar
- TianjinChina origin
- Bohai Sea
- Bohai Strait
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Strait of Gibraltar
- Sullom VoeUnited Kingdom
From Tianjin to Sullom Voe, cargo moves through Tianjin, with its Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals on the Bohai Bay, crosses a voyage that may run through Suez as drawn or round the Cape, depending on the service, and is discharged at the port of Sullom Voe.
The UK side asks for an S&S GB declaration, a battery producer registration and harbour notice. 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
- EU declaration of conformity
- BPRN
- S&S GB entry summary
Route profile
What sets Tianjin → Sullom Voe apart
United Kingdom
An EORI starting with GB or XI and a CDS subscription for customs, annual tonnage and chemistry reporting through the NPWD, and take-back duties for distributors above 32 kg a year.
Where this route gets difficult
5 pain points from Tianjin to Sullom Voe
Listed from loading in Tianjin to import into United Kingdom, each with what we do about it.
- 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.
- Sea corridor
Suez on the map, the Cape on most sailings
The corridor on this page is drawn through Bab-el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal. In practice, Sea-Intelligence data for September 2026 put Red Sea routing on the Asia–Europe head-haul at 13–25%: 27% for services to North Europe and 57% for Mediterranean services. Which service calls at Sullom Voe decides whether the box goes through Suez or round the Cape of Good Hope, and the two routings differ in length, in the waters crossed and in the ports where a box might be transhipped.
What Anxin does: We ask the carrier to state the routing and any transhipment port on the booking confirmation, and we quote the two routings separately when both are on offer rather than mixing them.
- Import country
An S&S GB entry summary 24 hours before loading in Tianjin
The UK's S&S GB service must hold the entry summary for a Sullom Voe container 24 hours before it is loaded in Tianjin. Whoever issued the bill of lading answers for it, and a late booking rolls to a later vessel rather than being loaded unfiled.
What Anxin does: We settle who issues the bill of lading at booking and pass complete consignee and goods data to that party before the Tianjin cut-off.
- Import country
24 hours' written notice to the harbour master
The Dangerous Goods in Harbour Areas Regulations 2016 bar bringing dangerous goods into a British harbour area without notice to the harbour master at least 24 hours ahead (and no more than six months), unless the harbour master agrees a shorter period. The notice carries UN numbers, names and quantities, so the vessel's data depend on the booking.
What Anxin does: We freeze the UN number, proper shipping name, package count and gross weight on the booking before departure and send any change to the carrier at once.
- Import country
Portable batteries: a compliance scheme by 15 October
A UK producer placing more than a tonne of portable batteries a year must be in a battery compliance scheme, joined by 15 October before the compliance year; the scheme registers and reports for it. Smaller producers register themselves on the NPWD and report their tonnage and chemistry by 31 January.
What Anxin does: We ask the UK importer whether it is a large or small portable producer and which scheme covers it, and put battery weights per chemistry on the packing list.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Tianjin → Sullom Voe
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
- 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)
- Crossed-out bin symbol and mAh/Ah capacity label checked on battery and packaging photos
For the shipping line
- 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 United Kingdom
- Battery compliance scheme (or NPWD registration) for portable batteries
- Importer's GB or XI EORI and CDS subscription confirmed; declarant named
- BPRN of the UK producer on invoices and delivery notes
Before you book
One consistent file
A document that is present but inconsistent holds a booking as surely as a missing one: the UN number, model name or carton count reads differently in the Tianjin export filings, the carrier booking and the United Kingdom import papers. We compare all three before confirming space.
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
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice or cold spell slows berthing in mid-winter | Bohai Bay, Jan–Feb | Slack between stuffing and cut-off; berthing window reconfirmed | Carrier, monitored by Anxin |
| Service switches between Suez and Cape routing | Main voyage | Routing written on the booking; quotes kept separate per routing; packing assumes the longer voyage | Carrier, tracked by Anxin |
| Entry summary not lodged and the box rolls | Loading port, Tianjin | Filer and data settled at booking | Bill-of-lading issuer |
| Harbour notice late or wrong | Sullom Voe harbour area | DG data frozen before departure | Carrier / agent |
Questions
Questions about shipping from Tianjin to Sullom Voe
Yes. As producer it registers with the Office for Product Safety and Standards on the NPWD within 28 days of first placing batteries on the market, and shows its BPRN on invoices to business customers.
It depends on the service. In September 2026 most Asia–North Europe capacity still sailed round the Cape of Good Hope; Sea-Intelligence put the Red Sea share for North Europe vessels at 27%. We ask the carrier to confirm the routing on the booking and quote each routing separately.
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
- Safety and security import requirements: entry summary declarations (HM Revenue & Customs (GOV.UK))
- Waste batteries: producer responsibility (Environment Agency (GOV.UK))
- The Dangerous Goods in Harbour Areas Regulations 2016, regulation 6 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Regulations: batteries and accumulators (placing on the market) (GOV.UK (Office for Product Safety and Standards))
- Subscribe to the Customs Declaration Service (HM Revenue & Customs (GOV.UK))
- Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
- Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))
- 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 Sullom Voe
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Sullom Voe before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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