Europe · sea freight from Xiamen

Shipping from Xiamen to Istanbul (Haydarpasa)

Xiamen to Istanbul (Haydarpasa)

South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Dardanelles · Sea of Marmara · Bosporus

XiamenChina origin
South China Sea
Malacca Strait
Indian Ocean
Bab-el-Mandeb
Suez Canal
Dardanelles
Sea of Marmara
Bosporus
Istanbul (Haydarpasa)Turkey

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.

This route runs through Xiamen, the port for more than 90% of Fujian's lithium battery exports, then follows a Suez, Aegean and Bosporus passage into the Black Sea; at the far end is the port of Istanbul (Haydarpasa).

On the Turkish side battery importers need TAP membership and a TAREKS environmental compliance permit. The 5 points below are particular to this lane; each comes with what we do and the paperwork it touches.

What we need to start

Online packaging appraisal
Taiwan Strait monsoon Oct–Apr
TAP membership + Çevre Uyum İzni
TAREKS application
CE declaration of conformity

Ask about this route Turkey ports from Xiamen

Route profile

How Xiamen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) differs from other lanes

Sea corridor

Asia – Black Sea via Suez and the Turkish Straits

Suez, the Aegean and the Turkish Straits, with a 24-hour DG sailing plan before the Bosporus and, since September 2026, almost the whole Black Sea on the war-risk list.

Import country

Türkiye

A Turkish entry summary 24 hours before loading in China, TAP membership and a TAREKS environmental permit for battery importers, and GEKAP on batteries placed on the market.

Where this route gets difficult

5 points to plan for on the Xiamen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) route

Listed from loading in Xiamen to import into Turkey, each with what we do about it.

Origin port
Pre-loading meeting and a ship plan at Xiamen
For large battery consignments Xiamen MSA offers pre-review of key DG documents, a pre-loading meeting where ship, cargo owner, terminal and agent agree deck stowage and emergency measures, and a 'one ship, one plan' checklist from gate-in to departure. In June 2026 it reported 104 energy-storage containers of 36 tonnes each loaded on a multipurpose ship for Houston.
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.
Origin port
Xiamen's fast appraisal needs matching data
Through the single window, Xiamen Customs now issues the lithium battery packaging use-appraisal certificate after automatic pre-review matching: roughly 10 minutes in a case reported in August 2026, compared with about half a day for the former on-site inspection. Only products that pass pre-review as compliant and valid get the fast path; mismatches return to inspection.
What Anxin does: We check the product data, UN38.3 summary and packaging codes against the application before it is submitted, so the certificate comes through pre-review rather than falling back to an on-site check.
Sea corridor
A dangerous-cargo sailing plan 24 hours before the Bosporus
Ships carrying dangerous cargo must file a Sailing Plan 1 with the Turkish Straits VTS at least 24 hours before entering the straits, declaring the dangerous goods classes on board. A class 9 battery container is part of that declaration, so late or wrong DG data on the manifest can hold the ship up at the entrance.
What Anxin does: We make sure the DG manifest data (UN number, class, quantity, container number) are final and match the booking before the vessel leaves the last port before the straits.
Import country
CE evidence and an invoice in triplicate
For products under EU CE-marking directives, Türkiye asks for evidence of CE marking, either a notified-body certificate or a manufacturer's declaration of conformity citing the directives and harmonised standards. The commercial invoice goes in triplicate with HS code and origin, the certificate of origin must have no corrections, and the original bill of lading plus three copies must match.
What Anxin does: We check the declaration of conformity, invoice and certificate of origin against each other before the originals are sent to the importer in Turkey.
Import country
Turkish entry summary 24 hours before loading in Xiamen
Türkiye applies its own advance filing: for containerised sea cargo the entry summary declaration (özet beyan) must reach the customs office where the goods will be discharged at least 24 hours before the container is loaded at the departure port. The carrier must make sure third-party filers meet the deadline, so incomplete data at Xiamen can keep the box off the ship.
What Anxin does: We give the carrier or filer the consignee details, HS-level description and DG data at booking, well before the Xiamen cut-off.

Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (41.00°N, 29.02°E).

Container ship alongside blue gantry cranes at the Juan Carlos I dock, Algeciras

Documents & compliance

Checklist for Xiamen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa)

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.

Before loading in Xiamen

Packaging appraisal data (product, UN38.3 summary, packaging codes) checked before single-window submission
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)
Invoice in triplicate with HS code and origin; certificate of origin without corrections
Battery type, quantity and weight per invoice line (for GEKAP)

Carrier and voyage

Final DG manifest data ready before the vessel reaches the Turkish Straits
Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)

For import into Turkey

Declaration of conformity and test reports for the TAREKS inspection
Importer's TAP membership and Çevre Uyum İzni (TAREKS)

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 Xiamen export filings, the carrier booking and the Turkey import papers. We compare all three before confirming space.

Carriers we book with

and 16 more

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 Xiamen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa)

Risk	Where	Mitigation	Who acts
Application fails pre-review and falls back to on-site inspection	Xiamen Customs	Data checked against the application first	Anxin with the manufacturer
Incorrect DG data in the straits sailing plan	Turkish Straits	Manifest checked against the booking	Carrier, with data from Anxin
Entry summary late and the box is not loaded	Loading port, Xiamen	Filing data passed at booking	Carrier / filer

Questions

Common questions on the Xiamen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) route

At least 24 hours before the container is loaded at the departure port in China, filed electronically to the customs office of discharge.

A Sailing Plan 1 to the Turkish Straits VTS at least 24 hours before entry, including the dangerous cargo classes on board.

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

Regulations and port sources cited

Sıkça sorulan sorular: Özet beyan (T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı)
Türkiye: Import Requirements and Documentation (last published 2026-01-29) (International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce)
Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulation (English translation) (Republic of Türkiye (translation published by VDA))
Xiamen Customs smart supervision of lithium battery dangerous-goods packaging (Fujian Provincial Department of Industry and IT (from Fujian Daily))
Faster clearance for Fujian lithium battery exports (Fujian Provincial Department of Industry and IT)
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)
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 Xiamen
5ImportClearance at Istanbul (Haydarpasa)

Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

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After you send it

We check carrier acceptance for Xiamen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Xiamen · Turkey ports

A truck hauling a teal shipping container on a motorway

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