Xiamen (Haicang / Songyu)
Fujian's battery gateway, handling more than 90% of the province's lithium battery exports, with 10-minute online packaging appraisal for compliant products and the Taiwan Strait's winter monsoon on the doorstep.
Europe · sea freight from Xiamen
Shipping from Xiamen to The Hague
Xiamen to The Hague
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel · North Sea
- XiamenChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Strait of Gibraltar
- English Channel
- North Sea
- The HagueNetherlands
This route runs through Xiamen, the port for more than 90% of Fujian's lithium battery exports, then follows a voyage that may run through Suez as drawn or round the Cape, depending on the service; at the far end is the port of The Hague.
The Dutch side combines an interim registration route with strict port reporting. 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
- Online packaging appraisal
- Taiwan Strait monsoon Oct–Apr
- MyOPEN registration number
- Dutch-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
The Hague is listed for reference only while its commercial cargo use is being checked; no offer is made on this page.
Route profile
How Xiamen → The Hague differs from other lanes
Netherlands
A battery register still waiting for Rijkswaterstaat, no collective scheme yet for industrial batteries, a 24-hour dangerous-goods report to the port, and the EU-wide CE and label duties.
Where this route gets difficult
Where Xiamen → The Hague shipments get held up: 5 points
They run from the Xiamen terminal through the voyage to The Hague and the Netherlands import file.
- Origin port
Xiamen MSA's 'one ship, one plan' for large battery cargo
Xiamen MSA offers pre-review of key DG documents, a pre-loading meeting at which ship, cargo owner, terminal and agent agree deck stowage and emergency measures, and a 'one ship, one plan' checklist from gate-in to sailing. In June 2026 it reported 104 energy-storage containers of 36 tonnes each loaded for Houston on a multipurpose ship.
What Anxin does: We send the key documents for pre-review before the formal filing and bring the stowage and emergency details the meeting will ask for.
- 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 The Hague 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
Mercury, cadmium and lead limits in portable batteries
Annex I of the Battery Regulation caps mercury at 0.0005 %, cadmium at 0.002 % and lead at 0.01 % by weight in portable batteries, and the lead limit has applied since 18 August 2024. Market surveillance in Netherlands can ask the importer to show that the goods meet these limits.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the Netherlands importer; we do not test batteries.
- Import country
A national battery register that is not live yet
The Netherlands has not finished implementing the Battery Regulation: producers will register individually in a Rijkswaterstaat register that is not yet operational. Portable-battery producers can register with Stichting OPEN meanwhile, and its registration number and public producer list are the best available proof; EPAC and ARN cover e-bike and vehicle batteries.
What Anxin does: We ask the Dutch importer which collective scheme it uses and for the registration number it holds, so the buyer has something to show until the national register opens.
- Import country
Battery label from August 2026, QR code from February 2027
The Battery Regulation's general information label applies from 18 August 2026 (or 18 months after the label implementing act, if later), and every battery needs a QR code from 18 February 2027, linked to a battery passport for EV, LMT and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. Where the battery is too small, both go on the packaging and accompanying documents.
What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the Netherlands importer to confirm the battery category and whether the label and QR-code elements are already on the goods, and compare carton photos with that answer.
Documents & compliance
What to have ready: Xiamen to The Hague
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
Before loading in Xiamen
- For ESS: carriage type (container ship or multipurpose), class 9 terminal and pre-voyage meeting confirmed
- Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
- EU declaration of conformity and CE marking photo from the manufacturer
- Importer name, trade name and postal address printed on battery or packaging
- Annex V safety documentation confirmed for stationary storage systems
For the carrier and the voyage
- Routing (Suez or Cape of Good Hope) and any transhipment port stated on the booking confirmation
- 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 Netherlands
- Collective scheme and registration number used in the Netherlands
- Haulier in Netherlands briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- Repacking planned outside the port, after onward transport
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 Xiamen filings, the carrier booking and the Netherlands 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
Risks on this route and who deals with them
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Buyer asks for proof of registration that does not exist yet | Importer in the Netherlands | Collective-scheme registration number supplied | Importer |
| Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026 | Importer in Netherlands | Label status confirmed before booking | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
Questions about shipping from Xiamen to The Hague
The CE marking on the battery and the manufacturer's EU declaration of conformity, which must be available in the language Netherlands requires. Both have applied since 18 August 2024.
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.
For products that pass automatic pre-review, Xiamen Customs issues it through the single window; the case reported in August 2026 took about 10 minutes, against about half a day for the old on-site inspection. Products that do not pass pre-review still need inspection.
References
Where these points come from
- Seagoing vessels carrying dangerous goods in waters and ports in the Netherlands (Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT))
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
- Xiamen Customs smart supervision of lithium battery dangerous-goods packaging (Fujian Provincial Department of Industry and IT (from Fujian Daily))
- Xiamen port energy-storage battery transport safety guide 2.0 (Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce)
- Xiamen MSA measures for energy-storage battery exports (Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Xiamen
- 5ImportClearance at The Hague
Prefer chat? Chat on WhatsApp (+86 151 4514 5178)
After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Xiamen → The Hague before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Xiamen · Netherlands ports
Need Xiamen → The Hague reviewed?
Share the cargo facts; we review the route in writing.
Request a Quote