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 Saint-Nazaire
Guangzhou to Saint-Nazaire
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
- Saint-NazaireFrance
Lithium batteries for Saint-Nazaire go from the Pearl River Delta via Nansha. 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 Saint-Nazaire.
France asks for a batteries IDU and eco-organisme membership before the first sale. 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
- Typhoon season Jun–Oct
- Nansha export
- EU declaration of conformity
- IDU (batteries stream)
- French-language safety information
Route profile
How Guangzhou → Saint-Nazaire 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
Where Guangzhou → Saint-Nazaire shipments get held up: 5 points
Listed from loading in Guangzhou to import into France, each with what we do about it.
- Origin port
A recommended 25% charge for ESS from Nansha
Nansha MSA told a July 2024 meeting on energy-storage carriage that ESS batteries should travel at roughly 25% state of charge, with accidental activation prevented. It is advice, not a binding rule, yet it is the number the local authority has put on the 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.
- Sea corridor
The canal is open; the risk sits further south
The JMIC's September 2026 update put the northern Red Sea and the Suez Canal at MODERATE, with two-way transits and container lines selectively returning, and the Eastern Mediterranean at LOW. On this corridor the exposure lies at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, not at the canal itself.
What Anxin does: We check before each booking whether the service has changed routing since the last quote.
- Import country
Substance limits for portable batteries
For portable batteries, Annex I sets maximum levels of 0.0005 % mercury, 0.002 % cadmium and 0.01 % lead by weight, the lead limit applying since 18 August 2024. The importer in France may be asked by market surveillance to demonstrate compliance.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the France importer; we do not test batteries.
- Import country
The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Guangzhou
Sea cargo for the EU needs a complete Entry Summary Declaration under ICS2 Release 3, and for deep-sea containers it is due 24 hours before loading at the departure port. Carriers apply 'no manifest, no load', and a filing without a valid EORI number is rejected, so a data gap in Guangzhou leaves the box on the quay.
What Anxin does: We collect the consignee's EORI number, an HS-level goods description and the house-bill parties at booking, and make sure the party filing the ENS has them before the Guangzhou cut-off.
- 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.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Guangzhou → Saint-Nazaire
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
In Guangzhou, before the box is loaded
- For ESS: written shipping state of charge and anti-activation measures from the manufacturer
- Substance declaration covering mercury, cadmium and lead limits
- 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 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 import into France
- Batteries-stream IDU of the producer of record in France
- Eco-organisme (or approved individual system) for the battery category
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
Risks on this route and who deals with them
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENS not filed and the box is refused at loading | Loading port, Guangzhou | EORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at booking | Filer (carrier / forwarder) |
| Importer details missing from battery and packaging | Importer in France | Address block sent to the factory before packing | Manufacturer / importer |
Questions
Guangzhou → Saint-Nazaire: questions we are asked
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
Regulations and port sources cited
- Identifiant unique (IDU) des filières REP (ADEME, Filières REP)
- Filière REP Batteries (BAT) (ADEME, Filières REP)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- ICS2 Release 3: Prepare your business for sending goods to or via the EU by sea and inland waterways (European Commission, DG TAXUD (leaflet KP0423828ENN))
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- 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)
- 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 Guangzhou
- 5ImportClearance at Saint-Nazaire
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Guangzhou → Saint-Nazaire before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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