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.
Europe · sea freight from Dalian
Dalian to Vigo
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Sicily Channel · Strait of Gibraltar
From Dalian to Vigo, cargo moves out of Dalian, the north-east's gateway on the Yellow Sea, crosses a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane, and is discharged at the port of Vigo.
Spain wants the producer on the RII-PYA register, with its number on the invoice. 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
Route profile
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.
RII-PYA registration with its number on every invoice, quarterly market data including batteries inside equipment, and the EU-wide CE and label duties.


Where this route gets difficult
Listed from loading in Dalian to import into Spain, each with what we do about it.
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.
Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports, Vigo included, are in the EU Emissions Trading System: 50% of the emissions of a voyage from China are covered, and the share of emissions for which lines must surrender allowances rises from 70% (for 2025 emissions) to 100% from 2027. Carriers can pass that cost on as a surcharge.
What Anxin does: We ask for the emissions surcharge to be shown as its own line in the quote, with the basis the carrier uses, so that successive quotes can be compared like for like.
Spain's industry ministry runs the RII-PYA battery register, and every battery importer must be registered and declared as a producer there, either through a collective scheme filing for its members or directly online with an electronic signature or Cl@ve. The register number issued has to appear on the producer's invoices.
What Anxin does: We ask the Spanish importer for its RII-PYA number and whether its SCRAP filed the registration, then carry the number on the documents we prepare for Vigo.
Since 18 August 2024 a stationary battery energy storage system placed on the EU market must be safe in normal operation, and its technical documentation must show testing against the Annex V safety parameters, from thermal shock and short-circuit protection to over-discharge and thermal propagation. Buyers of ESS cabinets in Spain increasingly ask for that file before delivery.
What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for Spain we ask the manufacturer to confirm that the Annex V test documentation exists before booking and note the answer in the shipment file.
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 Spain 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 Spain importer; we do not test batteries.

Documents & compliance
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.

We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Dalian filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for Spain before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Vigo.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailing | EU port call | Surcharge shown as a separate line | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| Importer not registered in the RII-PYA | Importer in Spain | Registration number confirmed before booking | Importer / SCRAP |
| Storage system delivered without Annex V test file | Buyer in Spain | Test documentation confirmed before booking | Manufacturer |
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.
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
Next step
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We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Vigo before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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