Asia – Mediterranean via Suez
Mediterranean services are the ones most likely to use Suez again (57% in September 2026), which puts the cargo back through Bab el-Mandeb, rated a SUBSTANTIAL threat.
Africa · sea freight from Dalian
Shipping from Dalian to El Dekheila
Dalian to El Dekheila
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Red Sea · Suez Canal · Mediterranean Sea
- DalianChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Red Sea
- Suez Canal
- Mediterranean Sea
- El DekheilaEgypt
This route runs from Liaoning through Dalian's Dayaowan terminals, then follows a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane; at the far end is Alexandria, where the DG manifest is due 48 hours before berthing.
Egypt requires a 19-digit ACID number on the bill of lading before the cargo leaves China. 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
- Winter ice & spring fog
- Dalian Dayaowan export
- DG manifest 48 h before berthing
- Onward transport within 7 days
- ACID number on the B/L
Route profile
How Dalian → El Dekheila differs from other lanes
Alexandria and El Dekheila
A DG manifest 48 hours before berthing, Civil Protection approval to discharge, and at most 7 days in port for dangerous-goods containers.
Where this route gets difficult
5 pain points from Dalian to El Dekheila
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then El Dekheila and the Egypt market.
- Origin port
Fewer battery sailings from Dalian under JT/T 1543
Dalian's battery flow is modest: Dalian MSA recorded 885 TEU of lithium battery exports in the first four months of 2025, and Liaoning's first export under JT/T 1543 left Dayaowan on 4 May 2025. Carriers should refuse batteries that fail JT/T 1543, and a thin flow leaves fewer alternative sailings when a booking is turned down.
What Anxin does: We check JT/T 1543 conformity evidence with the manufacturer before booking and confirm the carrier's acceptance of the UN numbers in writing.
- Origin port
Winter sea ice near Dayaowan
The Bohai Sea and the northern Yellow Sea freeze every winter. For 2021/22 China's marine forecast centre expected floating ice around 15 nautical miles offshore in the northern Yellow Sea, where Dayaowan is, and around 60 in Liaodong Bay, with the peak between mid-January and mid-February.
What Anxin does: For January–February sailings from Dalian we allow extra time between stuffing and the DG cut-off and reconfirm the vessel schedule the week before loading.
- Sea corridor
The round-Africa alternative
Services that avoid the Red Sea, 43% of the Mediterranean total, go round the Cape of Good Hope and re-enter through Gibraltar. SAMSA estimates that about 200 of the 576 containers lost at sea in 2024, 35% of the total, went overboard near the Cape.
What Anxin does: On Cape sailings we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.
- Destination port
IMDG labels visible, and a manifest sticker on mixed boxes
The Alexandria regulation requires IMDG warning labels and classification marks to be displayed prominently on dangerous-goods containers, and a container holding several different goods has to carry a sticker showing its cargo manifest for the port authorities. A consolidated box of different battery types needs that sticker.
What Anxin does: We check the class 9 placards on all four sides in the sealed-container photos and, for mixed loads, attach the manifest sticker before the box leaves Dalian.
- Import country
The exporter must be verified on CargoX
Under ACI the foreign exporter, here the Chinese shipper, has to register and be verified on the CargoX platform, and for sea freight must upload the commercial invoice, bill of lading, packing list and certificate of origin at least 48 hours before the vessel arrives. A shipper that has never exported to Egypt needs time to complete that verification.
What Anxin does: We check with the shipper in Dalian that its CargoX account is verified before booking, and remind it to upload the document set as soon as the bill of lading is issued.
Documents & compliance
What to have ready: Dalian to El Dekheila
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 Dalian, before the box is loaded
- JT/T 1543 conformity evidence from the manufacturer
- Class 9 placards on all sides; manifest sticker for mixed loads
- ACID number from the importer, printed on B/L draft, invoice and packing list
- Shipper's CargoX account verified; documents uploaded 48 h before arrival
- Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
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 the importer in Egypt
- Clearance and haulage lined up to leave the port within 7 days
- Importers Register status (GOEIC)
Before you book
Match the details first
We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Dalian filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for Egypt before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at El Dekheila.
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 delays berthing in mid-winter | Northern Yellow Sea, Jan–Feb | Extra time before cut-off; schedule reconfirmed | Carrier, monitored by Anxin |
| Heavy weather off South Africa on a Cape sailing | Cape of Good Hope | CINS stuffing checks | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| CargoX documents not uploaded in time | Egyptian Customs (ACI) | Upload reminder when the B/L is issued | Shipper |
Questions
Questions about shipping from Dalian to El Dekheila
A 19-digit number the Egyptian importer obtains on Nafeza before the shipment departs; it must be on the bill of lading and all shipping documents, or the cargo is not unloaded.
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.
Sea ice forms every winter in the northern Yellow Sea; in 2021/22 it was forecast to reach about 15 nautical miles out there, peaking mid-January to mid-February. We plan extra time for those weeks.
References
Regulations and port sources cited
- ACI: frequently asked questions (Egyptian Customs Authority)
- JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
- Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Dalian
- 5ImportClearance at El Dekheila
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → El Dekheila before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Dalian · Egypt ports
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