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 Swansea
Tianjin to Swansea
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
- SwanseaUnited Kingdom
Lithium batteries for Swansea go out of Tianjin's Xingang terminals, where customs can supervise stuffing at the factory and the box goes straight to the ship on a booked slot. 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 Swansea.
Great Britain runs its own post-Brexit pre-filing and battery producer 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
- BPRN
- S&S GB entry summary
- English-language safety information
Route profile
What sets Tianjin → Swansea apart
United Kingdom
An S&S GB entry summary 24 hours before loading, UK battery producer registration with a BPRN, and 24-hour dangerous goods notice to the harbour master.
Where this route gets difficult
5 pain points from Tianjin to Swansea
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Swansea and the United Kingdom market.
- 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 Swansea 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
Road haulage from Swansea under the carriage regulations
The road leg out of Swansea is regulated by the Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations 2009, which make ADR the rulebook for dangerous goods on British roads, with national derogations. UN 3480 moves as class 9, so the haulier needs the same package and UN details as the ocean declaration.
What Anxin does: We give the UK haulier the UN number, class and package details from the sea dangerous goods declaration so the road paperwork from Swansea matches what left Tianjin.
- Import country
Tonnage and chemistry reporting through the NPWD
UK battery producers register with the environmental regulator through the National Packaging Waste Database and report every year the tonnage and chemistry of the batteries they placed on the market. Distributors and retailers supplying more than 32 kg a year also have to offer free take-back of waste portable batteries.
What Anxin does: We give the UK importer the battery weight and chemistry for each shipment from our booking data, which it can use for its annual return; the registration itself stays with the producer.
- Import country
UK substance limits and the Pb marking
The UK limits mercury to 0.0005 % and cadmium to 0.002 % by weight in batteries, with listed exceptions, and a battery with more than 0.004 % lead must show the symbol Pb below the bin symbol. OPSS enforces these rules for batteries sold in the UK.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for a substance statement covering mercury, cadmium and lead and file it with the shipment documents for the UK importer; we do not test batteries.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Tianjin → Swansea
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
- Crossed-out bin symbol and mAh/Ah capacity label checked on battery and packaging photos
- Substance statement for mercury, cadmium and lead from the manufacturer
- 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
Carrier and voyage
- Routing (Suez or Cape of Good Hope) and any transhipment port stated on the booking confirmation
- Bill-of-lading issuer named and S&S GB data complete before loading
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
For import into United Kingdom
- UK haulier briefed with UN 3480 class 9 details for road carriage under ADR
- Battery compliance scheme (or NPWD registration) for portable batteries
- Importer's GB or XI EORI and CDS subscription confirmed; declarant named
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 United Kingdom 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
What could go wrong from Tianjin to Swansea, and who acts
| 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 |
| Annual tonnage return missing shipments | UK producer | Weight and chemistry recorded per shipment | Importer / producer |
Questions
Common questions on the Tianjin → Swansea route
At least 24 hours' notice to the harbour master before the dangerous goods enter the harbour area, under the Dangerous Goods in Harbour Areas Regulations 2016, unless the harbour master agrees a shorter period.
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.
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
- 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)
- The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009, regulation 5 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Regulations: waste batteries (GOV.UK (Office for Product Safety and Standards))
- 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 MSA opens a green channel for new-energy-vehicle shipments (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administration)
- 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 Swansea
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Swansea before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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