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 Richmond (California)
Dalian to Richmond (California)
Yellow Sea · Korea Strait · Sea of Japan · Tsugaru Strait · North Pacific
- DalianChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- Korea Strait
- Sea of Japan
- Tsugaru Strait
- North Pacific
- Richmond (California)United States
This route runs out of Dalian, the north-east's gateway on the Yellow Sea, then follows a North Pacific corridor with no canal or chokepoint; at the far end is the port of Richmond (California).
The US side adds a 25% Section 301 duty line, forced-labour scrutiny of lithium supply chains and an ISF deadline that falls before loading. 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
- Winter ice & spring fog
- Dalian Dayaowan export
- HTS code 8507.60
- ISF filer
- Supply-chain tracing file
Route profile
What sets Dalian → Richmond (California) apart
Transpacific (North Pacific)
A great-circle route across the North Pacific, exposed to hurricane-force winter storms from October to April.
Where this route gets difficult
5 points to plan for on the Dalian → Richmond (California) route
They run from the Dalian terminal through the voyage to Richmond (California) and the United States import file.
- Origin port
A smaller flow under the new ship-carriage standard
Liaoning's first lithium battery export under JT/T 1543 sailed from Dayaowan on 4 May 2025, and Dalian MSA counted 885 TEU of lithium batteries exported in the first four months of that year. Carriers should not accept batteries that do not meet JT/T 1543, and with a thinner flow there are fewer sailings to fall back on if a booking is refused.
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.
- Sea corridor
An open-ocean crossing where weather is the main risk
From Dalian the drawn corridor to Richmond (California) runs across the North Pacific without a canal or Red Sea passage, so weather replaces chokepoints as the risk. The ONE Apus, bound from Yantian to Long Beach in November 2020, had a stack collapse in a storm about 1,600 nautical miles north-west of Hawaii; her owners said more than 1,900 containers could be lost or damaged, up to 40 of them hazmat.
What Anxin does: For winter sailings especially, we review blocking and bracing on stuffing photos against the CINS points before sealing, and make sure the DG declaration is complete, so a damaged box can be identified and handled correctly.
- 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
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 Richmond (California) 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.
- 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 Richmond (California) for the California market, we ask for the accredited test report and label photos before booking.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Dalian → Richmond (California)
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
At the Dalian end
- JT/T 1543 conformity evidence from the manufacturer
- '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
For the shipping line
- Stuffing photos before, during and after packing, checked for blocking and bracing
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
- Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
For the importer in United States
- ISF filer named; stuffing location and consolidator sent right after packing
- 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
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
Risks on this route and who deals with them
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stack collapse or cargo shift in a North Pacific storm | Mid-Pacific | Blocking and bracing checked before sealing; complete DG data for incident response | Packing site / carrier, checked by Anxin |
| 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
Dalian → Richmond (California): questions we are asked
Yes. Under 49 CFR 171.25(b)(3), SP188 packages of UN3480 or UN3090 need the 'FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT' marking or a Cargo Aircraft Only label, and so do packages of batteries packed with or contained in equipment above 5 kg net. We check for it on carton photos before stuffing.
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
- 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)
- 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)
- Update: Certificates of Compliance and eFiling (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
- Hurricane force extratropical cyclones observed using QuikSCAT (Mariners Weather Log 49-1) (NOAA Ocean Prediction Center)
- Container ship ONE Apus; North Pacific Ocean (incident record) (NOAA IncidentNews)
- 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 Richmond (California)
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Dalian → Richmond (California) before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Dalian · United States ports
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