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.
North America · sea freight from Dalian
Shipping from Dalian to Galveston
Dalian to Galveston
Yellow Sea · Korea Strait · Tsugaru Strait · Eastern Pacific · Panama Canal · Caribbean Sea · Yucatán Channel · Gulf of Mexico
- DalianChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- Korea Strait
- Tsugaru Strait
- Eastern Pacific
- Panama Canal
- Caribbean Sea
- Yucatán Channel
- Gulf of Mexico
- GalvestonUnited States
This route runs through Dayaowan, where Liaoning's first JT/T 1543 lithium export sailed in May 2025, then follows a Panama Canal corridor whose draft limit depends on Gatun Lake; at the far end is the port of Galveston.
The United States applies Section 301 and UFLPA scrutiny to Chinese lithium batteries and wants its manifest data before loading. 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
- HTS code 8507.60
- ISF filer
- Supply-chain tracing file
Route profile
What sets Dalian → Galveston apart
Asia – Americas via the Panama Canal
Gatun Lake levels set how much a ship can load through Panama; the Caribbean leg then crosses hurricane waters from June to November.
Where this route gets difficult
5 points to plan for on the Dalian → Galveston route
They run from the Dalian terminal through the voyage to Galveston and the United States import file.
- 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
Gatun Lake sets the Neopanamax draft
How deep ships can load through Panama's new locks depends on Gatun Lake. In September 2026 the Canal Authority's advisory A-33-2026 postponed a cut in the Neopanamax draft from 14.63 m to 14.48 m that had been due on 1 October, citing lake levels; a lower limit reduces what a ship bound for Galveston can carry.
What Anxin does: We check the canal advisory in force when we quote for Galveston and ask carriers to confirm that the booked vessel's routing and any canal surcharge will not change before sailing.
- Import country
Where the lithium came from: UFLPA questions at entry
Since August 2025 lithium has been a high-priority sector under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, and CBP had by then stopped more than 16,700 shipments for UFLPA review. A container for Galveston can be held while the importer shows where the cells, cathode material and lithium compounds were sourced.
What Anxin does: We tell the importer at quotation stage that supply-chain tracing may be requested, and keep manufacturer names and addresses consistent across invoice, packing list and ISF so the paper trail does not contradict itself.
- Import country
The ISF deadline falls before the box is loaded
CBP must have the Importer Security Filing 24 hours before the container is laden in Dalian, and its liquidated damages guidelines provide for a claim for each late, inaccurate or incomplete filing. The stuffing location and consolidator can only be filled in once the container is packed, which leaves a short window.
What Anxin does: We send the importer's ISF filer the stuffing location, consolidator and manufacturer details as soon as the container is packed in Dalian, ahead of the vessel's loading window.
- Import country
The emergency response number has to be answered live
US rules want a numeric emergency response telephone number on the shipping paper for battery cargo that leaves Galveston by road, monitored for as long as the goods are in transport and answered by a person with the emergency information for UN3480 or UN3090. A call-back service fails the test (49 CFR 172.604); only the IMDG waiver for cargo that never touches a public highway avoids it.
What Anxin does: Before sailing we confirm who provides the 24-hour number for the US leg, usually the importer's emergency response provider, and put it with the contract reference on the DG documents we send to the trucker.
Documents & compliance
What to have ready: Dalian to Galveston
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 Dalian
- Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
- Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
- Transport-condition classification report where applicable
- Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
- 'Made in China' marking on articles or containers checked on photos
For the shipping line
- Canal routing and any canal-related surcharge confirmed for the booked vessel
- SP188 cartons: US 'forbidden aboard passenger aircraft' marking or CAO label
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
At the United States end
- ISF filer named; stuffing location and consolidator sent right after packing
- 24-hour emergency response number (and provider reference) for the US road leg
- Importer of record and the licensed customs broker who will file the entry
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 United States before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Galveston.
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
What could go wrong from Dalian to Galveston, and who acts
| 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 |
| Draft cut reduces capacity or adds surcharges | Panama Canal | Advisory checked at quotation; carrier confirmation | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| UFLPA detention pending supply-chain evidence | CBP at entry | Importer prepares tracing documents before shipping; consistent manufacturer data on all documents | Importer |
| Late or inaccurate ISF | Before loading abroad | Stuffing and consolidator data sent to the ISF filer immediately after packing | Anxin with the ISF filer |
Questions
Common questions on the Dalian → Galveston route
No. The carrier must also send its cargo declaration through AMS 24 hours before loading, and CBP will not issue the permit to unlade without it.
1 June to 30 November, peaking around 10 September, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
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
Official sources for this page
- 19 CFR 134.11: Country of origin marking required (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
- 19 CFR 149.2 – Importer security filing: requirement and time of transmission (eCFR / CBP)
- 19 CFR 4.7: inward foreign manifest; advance filing of cargo declaration (24 hours before lading) (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
- 49 CFR 171.25 – Additional requirements for the use of the IMDG Code (eCFR / PHMSA)
- 49 CFR 172.604: Emergency response telephone number (eCFR / PHMSA)
- DHS designates steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda and red dates as UFLPA high-priority sectors (19 Aug 2025) (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
- Advisory to Shipping A-33-2026: Postponement of maximum authorized draft adjustment in the Neopanamax locks (Panama Canal Authority)
- Tropical Cyclone Climatology (NOAA National Hurricane Center)
- 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 Galveston
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Galveston before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Dalian · United States ports
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