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
Shipping from Dalian to Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
Dalian to Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Dardanelles · Sea of Marmara
- DalianChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Dardanelles
- Sea of Marmara
- Istanbul (Haydarpasa)Turkey
Lithium batteries for Istanbul (Haydarpasa) go from Liaoning through Dalian's Dayaowan terminals. On the way they face a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane, and they arrive at the port of Istanbul (Haydarpasa).
Türkiye wants the entry summary declaration 24 hours before the container is loaded in China. 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
- Dalian Dayaowan export
- Winter ice & spring fog
- TAP membership + Çevre Uyum İzni
- TAREKS application
- CE declaration of conformity
Route profile
How Dalian → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) differs from other lanes
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
What to watch between Dalian and Istanbul (Haydarpasa): 5 points
In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Istanbul (Haydarpasa) and at customs in Turkey.
- Origin port
Sea fog off Dalian, April to July
Sea fog is one of the main marine hazards of the Yellow and Bohai Seas according to the China Meteorological Administration, concentrated between April and July and with a serious effect on shipping. A vessel held at anchor by fog can arrive late enough to push a box beyond the sailing its documents name.
What Anxin does: In the fog season we avoid tight stuffing-to-cut-off gaps and keep the filing data ready to amend if the vessel changes.
- Sea corridor
Mediterranean services are back in the Red Sea more than others
Sea-Intelligence data for September 2026 show 57% of Asia–Mediterranean services routed via the Red Sea, against 27% for North Europe. For Istanbul (Haydarpasa) the Suez routing is therefore the likely one, and it runs through Bab el-Mandeb, which the JMIC rated SUBSTANTIAL on 24 September 2026: the Houthis describe their blockade as selective, and they now hold Perim Island in the channel.
What Anxin does: We ask the carrier which routing its service to Istanbul (Haydarpasa) uses and name it on the quote, together with any war-risk or emergency surcharge.
- Import country
Özet beyan filed before the box is loaded
For Istanbul (Haydarpasa), Turkish customs wants the entry summary declaration 24 hours before loading in China, filed electronically to the office of discharge; the carrier is answerable for third-party filings, and an arrival notification follows when the ship docks.
What Anxin does: We give the carrier or filer the consignee details, HS-level description and DG data at booking, well before the Dalian cut-off.
- Import country
Retail needs the brand in a collection system
In Türkiye a distributor may not sell a battery brand that has no collection system behind it and must take back waste batteries free of charge, so the brand's registration decides whether stock can go on sale.
What Anxin does: We ask the importer to confirm the brand is registered in its collection system before the first shipment leaves Dalian.
- Import country
GEKAP on batteries placed on the market
Türkiye charges a recovery contribution (GEKAP) on batteries placed on the market, imports included, payable to the Ministry of Treasury and Finance under Environment Law No. 2872. It is the importer's liability, but the quantities and battery types on the invoice and packing list are what it is calculated from.
What Anxin does: We make sure the invoice and packing list give battery type, quantity and weight per line, so the importer can calculate GEKAP from the shipping documents.
Documents & compliance
What to have ready: Dalian to 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.
In Dalian, before the box is loaded
- 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)
- Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
- Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
For the shipping line
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- Consignee, HS-level description and DG data to the özet beyan filer at booking
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
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 Dalian export filings, the carrier booking and the Turkey import papers. We compare all three before confirming space.
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 table for Dalian → Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fog hold delays the vessel; filings need amending | Yellow Sea, Apr–Jul | Amendment-ready filing data | Anxin with the declarant |
| Security incident near Bab el-Mandeb changes the routing or adds surcharges | Southern Red Sea | Routing and surcharges stated in writing before booking | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| Entry summary late and the box is not loaded | Loading port, Dalian | Filing data passed at booking | Carrier / filer |
Questions
Questions about shipping from Dalian to Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
Yes. Under Communiqué 2017/15 battery imports go through a risk-based TAREKS inspection before the customs declaration is registered.
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
Where these points come from
- 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)
- Sıkça sorulan sorular: atık pil ve akümülatörler (T.C. Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı)
- 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))
- Sea fog in the Yellow and Bohai Seas (fog season mainly April–July) (China Meteorological Administration (from Guangming Daily))
- 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 Dalian
- 5ImportClearance at Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Dalian · Turkey ports
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