Lithium battery freight focus Air · Sea · Land assessment Document-first planning
Shipment Status & Support

North America · sea freight from Dalian

Shipping from Dalian to Humboldt Bay

Dalian to Humboldt Bay

Yellow Sea · Korea Strait · Sea of Japan · Tsugaru Strait · North Pacific

Sea corridor illustration: Dalian to Humboldt Bay, United States Simplified map with a curved corridor from Dalian via Yellow Sea, Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, Tsugaru Strait, North Pacific to Humboldt Bay. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINA Korea StraitTsugaru StraitNorth Pacific DalianCHINA ORIGIN Humboldt BayUNITED STATES DalianBOHAI SEAYELLOW SEASHANDONGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. DalianChina origin
  2. Yellow Sea
  3. Korea Strait
  4. Sea of Japan
  5. Tsugaru Strait
  6. North Pacific
  7. Humboldt BayUnited States
Geographic corridor illustration only, not a vessel track, port-call list or sailing schedule. The loading terminal, carrier, transshipment and dates are confirmed per shipment.

Lithium batteries for Humboldt Bay go through Dayaowan, where Liaoning's first JT/T 1543 lithium export sailed in May 2025. On the way they face a great-circle crossing of the North Pacific, and they arrive at the port of Humboldt Bay.

The United States applies Section 301 and UFLPA scrutiny to Chinese lithium batteries and wants its manifest data before loading. This page sets out 6 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.

What we need to start

  • Winter ice & spring fog
  • Dalian Dayaowan export
  • ISF filer
  • Supply-chain tracing file
  • HTS code 8507.60
Ask about this route United States ports from Dalian

Route profile

How Dalian → Humboldt Bay differs from other lanes

Origin port

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.

Import country

United States

Section 301 duty on Chinese lithium-ion batteries at 25% since January 2026, UFLPA scrutiny of lithium supply chains, ISF 24 hours before loading, and a US-only marking rule for SP188 packages.

Blue harbour crane booms above a quay building in Dalian harbour
A container ship under way off the Guatemalan coast

Where this route gets difficult

What to watch between Dalian and Humboldt Bay: 6 points

They run from the Dalian terminal through the voyage to Humboldt Bay and the United States import file.

  1. 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.

  2. Origin port

    Dalian's MSA says misdeclared battery cargo is common

    According to Dayaowan MSA in April 2024, lithium battery cargo was often under-declared or misdeclared because the rules are complicated. It responded with a dedicated desk and hotline, priority for EV batteries, and AI-based document comparison intended to reduce container openings, which means any mismatch between the declaration and its supporting papers gets flagged.

    What Anxin does: We reconcile the UN number, classification, packing group, quantity and SDS across every document before filing, which is exactly what an automated comparison will test.

  3. Sea corridor

    Winter storms with hurricane-force winds

    NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center found hurricane-force winds (64 knots and above) in North Pacific mid-latitude storms in every month from October to April, peaking in December, with 15 to 23 such storms per season in its 2001–2004 records. They are not typhoons, so they do not follow the tropical calendar.

    What Anxin does: For October–April sailings we check blocking and bracing on stuffing photos before sealing and confirm the full DG data are on the manifest.

  4. Import country

    The carrier's AMS manifest is due 24 hours before loading

    Besides the importer's ISF, CBP must receive the carrier's electronic cargo declaration through AMS 24 hours before the container is laden in Dalian (19 CFR 4.7). CBP does not issue the permit to unlade at Humboldt Bay until it has that declaration, and late, incomplete or inaccurate cargo data can delay or deny it.

    What Anxin does: We give the carrier or NVOCC the final cargo description, HS code, UN number and package count before the documentation cut-off in Dalian, so the AMS filing and the DG manifest say the same thing.

  5. Import country

    Brand and chemistry labels on built-in-battery products

    California has added battery-embedded products to its electronic-waste program: from 1 January 2026 buyers pay a recycling fee at purchase, and each covered product must show the manufacturer's name or brand and the battery chemistry (or put it on the maker's website), with an annual product notice to CalRecycle and retailers.

    What Anxin does: If the goods landing at Humboldt Bay are devices with built-in batteries for sale in California, we ask the brand owner to confirm the chemistry labelling and the CalRecycle notice before shipping.

  6. Import country

    E-bike batteries for California need an accredited test

    Since 1 January 2026 California SB 1271 bars distributing or selling an e-bike, powered mobility device or its storage battery unless the battery has been tested by an accredited laboratory to a standard referenced in UL 2849 or EN 15194, and the laboratory's logo and the test standard are displayed. Importers must hand over the test report on request.

    What Anxin does: For e-mobility batteries arriving at Humboldt Bay for the California market, we ask for the accredited test report and label photos before booking.

Locator map of Humboldt Bay, United StatesHumboldt Bay
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (40.80°N, 124.16°W).
Containers on rail wagons next to a terminal in Vancouver

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Dalian to Humboldt Bay

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.

Before loading in Dalian

  • UN number, class, quantity and SDS reconciled across all documents before the Dalian filing
  • 'Made in China' marking on articles or containers checked on photos
  • 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)
  • Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing

Carrier and voyage

  • Stuffing photos before, during and after packing, checked for blocking and bracing
  • Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
  • Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)

For the importer in United States

  • CPSC certificate data and eFiling arrangement, if the product is subject to certification
  • 24-hour emergency response number (and provider reference) for the US road leg
A portable power bank connected to a smartphone
Before you book

Send the file once, complete

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 United States 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 table for Dalian → Humboldt Bay

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Ice delays berthing in mid-winterNorthern Yellow Sea, Jan–FebExtra time before cut-off; schedule reconfirmedCarrier, monitored by Anxin
Declaration flagged by document comparison; container openedDayaowanCross-document reconciliation before filingAnxin with the declarant
Heavy-weather damage in a winter stormNorth Pacific, Oct–AprCINS stuffing checksPacking site, checked by Anxin
Permit to unlade delayed for a late or inaccurate AMS manifestPort of dischargeFinal cargo data given to the carrier before the cut-offCarrier / NVOCC, with data from Anxin

Questions

Questions about shipping from Dalian to Humboldt Bay

Yes, if the container moves on a public highway. The IMDG waiver in 49 CFR 171.25(d)(2) only covers cargo that stays on the ship or moves between vessels; otherwise 49 CFR 172.604 requires a monitored number answered by someone with the emergency information. Goods shipped as 'Battery powered equipment' are exempt.

Weather is the main risk on this crossing: NOAA recorded hurricane-force North Pacific storms from October to April, most often in December. We tighten the packing checks for those sailings.

Dayaowan MSA reported in 2024 that omissions and misdeclarations of lithium battery cargo were frequent because the rules are complex, and it uses AI document comparison. Consistent data across the declaration, SDS and packing documents is the main defence.

References

Official sources for this page

  1. 19 CFR 134.11: Country of origin marking required (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
  2. 19 CFR 4.7: inward foreign manifest; advance filing of cargo declaration (24 hours before lading) (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
  3. 49 CFR 171.25 – Additional requirements for the use of the IMDG Code (eCFR / PHMSA)
  4. 49 CFR 172.604: Emergency response telephone number (eCFR / PHMSA)
  5. Update: Certificates of Compliance and eFiling (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
  6. Hurricane force extratropical cyclones observed using QuikSCAT (Mariners Weather Log 49-1) (NOAA Ocean Prediction Center)
  7. Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))
  8. Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))

Next step

From enquiry to import

  1. 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
  2. 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
  3. 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
  4. 4HandoverAt Dalian
  5. 5ImportClearance at Humboldt Bay
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Dalian → Humboldt Bay

Origin and destination are filled in; add the cargo facts you have.

Sending this form starts a review; it does not confirm carriage. Full enquiry form

After you send it

We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Humboldt Bay before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Dalian · United States ports

Trailers backed up to the loading docks of a warehouse

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