Dalian (Dayaowan)
North-east China's battery gateway at Dayaowan, with a small but growing lithium export flow, a local MSA that has named misdeclaration as its main problem, and both winter ice and spring fog.
Europe · sea freight from Dalian
Dalian to Rauma
Yellow Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel · Danish Straits
This route runs through Dayaowan, where Liaoning's first JT/T 1543 lithium export sailed in May 2025, then follows a Suez-or-Cape voyage that ends with the Danish straits and the Baltic; at the far end is the port of Rauma.
The Finnish side adds producer registration to the EU battery 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
Route profile
North-east China's battery gateway at Dayaowan, with a small but growing lithium export flow, a local MSA that has named misdeclaration as its main problem, and both winter ice and spring fog.
The Baltic is reached only through the Danish straits, where deep-draught ships are advised to take pilots, and its northern ports set ice-class restrictions every winter.


Where this route gets difficult
In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Rauma and at customs in Finland.
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.
Each winter Finland's Transport Infrastructure Agency restricts traffic to its ports so that only ships of a given ice class and deadweight receive icebreaker assistance; exemption requests are due three working days before arrival at the latest, and Baltic restrictions appear on baltice.org. During the restriction period a feeder lacking the ice class may be refused at Rauma.
What Anxin does: For winter shipments we check the restrictions in force on baltice.org for Rauma and ask the carrier to confirm that the final feeder has the required ice class before we book.
Sea cargo for the EU needs a complete Entry Summary Declaration under ICS2 Release 3, and for deep-sea containers it is due 24 hours before loading at the departure port. Carriers apply 'no manifest, no load', and a filing without a valid EORI number is rejected, so a data gap in Dalian leaves the box on the quay.
What Anxin does: We collect the consignee's EORI number, an HS-level goods description and the house-bill parties at booking, and make sure the party filing the ENS has them before the Dalian cut-off.
Since 18 August 2024 a battery sold in the EU needs the CE marking and an EU declaration of conformity from its manufacturer. The declaration has to be available in the language Finland requires, and the importer is the one who must check both before the goods are released for sale.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer in China for the declaration of conformity and a photo of the CE marking on the battery or its packaging before loading, and pass them to the Finland importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.
For portable batteries, Annex I sets maximum levels of 0.0005 % mercury, 0.002 % cadmium and 0.01 % lead by weight, the lead limit applying since 18 August 2024. The importer in Finland may be asked by market surveillance to demonstrate compliance.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the Finland importer; we do not test batteries.

Documents & compliance
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.

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 Dalian filings, the carrier booking and the Finland 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
| 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 |
| Feeder lacks the ice class required under winter restrictions | Northern Baltic, winter | Ice class confirmed at booking | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required language | Importer in Finland | Declaration and CE photo collected before loading | Manufacturer / importer |
| ENS not filed and the box is refused at loading | Loading port, Dalian | EORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at booking | Filer (carrier / forwarder) |
Questions
The importer's: name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal address with a contact point, on the battery or, if it is too small, on the packaging or accompanying document.
Yes, but in the restriction period only ships of the required ice class and deadweight receive icebreaker assistance. Finland's agency publishes the restrictions on baltice.org, with exemption requests due at least three working days before arrival.
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
Next step
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We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Rauma before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Dalian · Finland ports

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