Guangzhou (Nansha)
Pearl River Delta battery cargo through Nansha, where a September 2026 agreement lets Dongguan-inspected containers load without a second MSA check, and where typhoon season runs June to October.
Europe · sea freight from Guangzhou
Shipping from Guangzhou to Bayonne
Guangzhou to Bayonne
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Sicily Channel · Strait of Gibraltar · Bay of Biscay
- GuangzhouChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Sicily Channel
- Strait of Gibraltar
- Bay of Biscay
- BayonneFrance
Lithium batteries for Bayonne go through Guangzhou's Nansha terminals, which since September 2026 accept Dongguan-inspected battery boxes without a second check. On the way they face a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and they arrive at the port of Bayonne.
France asks for a batteries IDU and eco-organisme membership before the first sale. Below are 6 route-specific points to plan for, what we do about each, and the documents to have ready before booking.
What we need to start
- Nansha export
- Dongguan–Nansha one-box
- French-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
- EU declaration of conformity
Route profile
How Guangzhou → Bayonne differs from other lanes
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.
Where this route gets difficult
6 points to plan for on the Guangzhou → Bayonne route
They run from the Guangzhou terminal through the voyage to Bayonne and the France import file.
- Origin port
Nansha MSA's state-of-charge advice for energy storage
At a July 2024 meeting on energy-storage carriage, Nansha MSA recommended shipping ESS batteries at a state of charge of around 25% and preventing accidental activation. It is a recommendation rather than a fixed rule, but it is the figure the local authority has put on record.
What Anxin does: For ESS cargo leaving Nansha we ask the manufacturer to state the shipping state of charge and the anti-activation measures in writing, and put both in the documents the carrier sees.
- Origin port
Dongguan factory to Nansha: the new one-box route
On 22 September 2026 Dongguan and Guangzhou MSA agreed to extend the one-box model to Nansha: Guangzhou MSA recognises Dongguan MSA's factory inspection and does not re-inspect unless necessary. The first box was stuffed in Dongguan that day and sailed from Nansha to Singapore on 24 September. The model is new at Nansha, so the factory record has to be right first time.
What Anxin does: We ask at booking whether your Dongguan factory can use the Nansha one-box arrangement and make sure the stuffing photos, packing certificate and DG declaration match, because a mismatch is the 'necessary' case that brings the second inspection back.
- Sea corridor
If the service goes round Africa instead
The 43% of Mediterranean services not using the Red Sea sail round the Cape of Good Hope, then back through Gibraltar. SAMSA estimates about 200 of the 576 containers lost at sea in 2024 went overboard near the Cape, 35% of the year's total.
What Anxin does: On Cape sailings we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.
- Import country
The truck leg out of Bayonne runs under ADR
Once the container leaves the terminal by road, ADR applies: Directive 2008/68/EC makes EU countries use it for domestic dangerous goods journeys as well as international ones. UN 3480 is class 9, transport category 2, with tunnel restriction code (E), so the haulier in France has to plan around category E tunnels, and damaged or defective batteries fall under special provision 376 and packing instructions P908 or P911 instead of P903.
What Anxin does: We give the France haulier the same UN number, class and package details that appear on the sea dangerous goods declaration, so the ADR transport document matches the container paperwork from Guangzhou.
- Import country
The importer's name and address on the battery
The Battery Regulation asks the importer to put its own name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal address, with a single contact point, on the battery. Only when the battery's size or nature makes that impossible may the details move to the packaging or an accompanying document, so a France importer's details need to reach the factory before printing.
What Anxin does: We pass the France importer's name and address block to the manufacturer before the goods are packed in China and check carton or battery photos for it before loading.
- Import country
Supply-chain due diligence moved to August 2027
The Battery Regulation's due diligence obligations on cobalt, lithium, nickel and natural graphite were postponed by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 and now apply from 18 August 2027, with Commission guidelines due by 26 July 2026. Buyers in France are already asking suppliers for the supply-chain data they will need.
What Anxin does: We pass the France buyer's due diligence questions to the manufacturer and keep their answers with the shipment file; the policy itself remains the producer's responsibility.
Documents & compliance
What to have ready: Guangzhou to Bayonne
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.
At the Guangzhou end
- For ESS: written shipping state of charge and anti-activation measures from the manufacturer
- 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)
- EU declaration of conformity and CE marking photo from the manufacturer
- Importer name, trade name and postal address printed on battery or packaging
For the carrier and the voyage
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- 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 France
- Haulier in France briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
- Instructions and safety information in the language France requires
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 Guangzhou filings, the carrier booking and the France 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
What could go wrong from Guangzhou to Bayonne, and who acts
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second inspection at Nansha because factory records are incomplete | Dongguan factory → Nansha | Photos, packing certificate and declaration matched before trucking | Anxin |
| Heavy weather off South Africa on a Cape sailing | Cape of Good Hope | CINS stuffing checks | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| Road route planned through a category E tunnel | Road leg from Bayonne | Tunnel code (E) passed to the haulier with the transport data | Haulier / forwarder |
| Importer details missing from battery and packaging | Importer in France | Address block sent to the factory before packing | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
Common questions on the Guangzhou → Bayonne route
The CE marking on the battery and the manufacturer's EU declaration of conformity, which must be available in the language France requires. Both have applied since 18 August 2024.
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.
Nansha MSA has recommended around 25% for ESS batteries and measures against accidental activation. Treat it as the local authority's recommendation; the carrier's own acceptance conditions also apply.
References
Official sources for this page
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 as regards due diligence obligations (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
- JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
- Nansha MSA meeting on the safe carriage of energy-storage batteries (Guangzhou Nansha District Government)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Guangzhou
- 5ImportClearance at Bayonne
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Guangzhou → Bayonne before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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