Transpacific (North Pacific)
A great-circle route across the North Pacific, exposed to hurricane-force winter storms from October to April.
North America · sea freight from Lianyungang
Shipping from Lianyungang to Ketchikan
Lianyungang to Ketchikan
Yellow Sea · Korea Strait · Sea of Japan · Tsugaru Strait · Gulf of Alaska
- LianyungangChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- Korea Strait
- Sea of Japan
- Tsugaru Strait
- Gulf of Alaska
- KetchikanUnited States
From Lianyungang to Ketchikan, cargo moves from northern Jiangsu through Lianyungang on the Yellow Sea, crosses the open North Pacific, where weather is the main risk, and is discharged at the port of Ketchikan.
Ketchikan means US customs filings that are due while the container is still in Lianyungang, and a supply chain CBP may ask to see. 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
- Lianyungang export
- Break-bulk ESS guide
- ISF filer
- Supply-chain tracing file
- HTS code 8507.60
Route profile
How Lianyungang → Ketchikan differs from other lanes
United States
A duty line set by the exact 8507.60 code, lithium supply-chain questions under UFLPA, and ISF and AMS filings that are due before the box is loaded.
Where this route gets difficult
What to watch between Lianyungang and Ketchikan: 6 points
Listed from loading in Lianyungang to import into United States, each with what we do about it.
- Origin port
Fog season at Lianyungang
Between April and July sea fog is a major marine hazard in the Yellow and Bohai Seas, the China Meteorological Administration says. Lianyungang, like Qingdao, can see vessels held at anchor by fog, and moving a box to another vessel means amending its DG filings.
What Anxin does: In fog season we keep slack between stuffing and the DG cut-off and have the filing data ready to amend.
- Origin port
Four cargo-side documents at Lianyungang, each checked
Under Lianyungang MSA's Notice No. 1 of 2024 the cargo side of a 'new three' filing needs four items: safe-carriage declaration, packing certificate signed by an inspector, packaging inspection certificate where the goods are packaged, and a power of attorney. A shorter list puts more weight on each paper, and the packing certificate still requires a certified inspector after supervised stuffing.
What Anxin does: We prepare the four cargo-side documents together and check that the packing certificate, the packaging certificate and the declaration describe the same UN numbers and quantities.
- Sea corridor
An open-ocean crossing where weather is the main risk
From Lianyungang the drawn corridor to Ketchikan 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
Product defects must be reported to CPSC within 24 hours
US importers, like manufacturers and retailers, must tell CPSC within 24 hours once they have information reasonably suggesting that a consumer product fails a safety rule or has a defect that could create a substantial hazard. Battery overheating reports from customers can trigger that duty, and CPSC expects any investigation to take no more than about 10 working days.
What Anxin does: We keep the manufacturer's batch records, UN 38.3 summaries and packing photos for each shipment to Ketchikan, so the importer can answer CPSC questions quickly.
- Import country
Section 301 at 25% on lithium-ion non-EV batteries from January 2026
USTR's 2024 review moved lithium-ion batteries of HTSUS 8507.60.0020 (the 'other', non-passenger-EV line) from a 7.5% to a 25% additional duty for entries from 1 January 2026; EV traction batteries under 8507.60.0010 reached 25% in 2024. Other China-specific duties can stack on top and change with little notice, so the landed cost depends on the exact classification and entry date.
What Anxin does: We do not give duty rulings. We make sure the invoice describes chemistry, configuration and application precisely enough for the importer's customs broker to classify it, and we flag the entry date when a vessel's arrival could straddle a duty change.
- Import country
A US-only carton mark for SP188 shipments
Packages of UN3480 or UN3090 moving under IMDG special provision 188 skip the DG declaration at sea, yet 49 CFR 171.25(b)(3) still wants the 'FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT' mark or a Cargo Aircraft Only label on each one, and on packages of batteries with or in equipment over 5 kg net.
What Anxin does: When the shipper declares SP188 for a Ketchikan booking, we check the carton photos for the US marking or CAO label before stuffing, not after discharge.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Lianyungang → Ketchikan
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 Lianyungang
- The four cargo-side documents under Lianyungang MSA Notice 2024 No. 1 prepared together and cross-checked
- 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
- Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
For the carrier and the voyage
- Stuffing photos before, during and after packing, checked for blocking and bracing
- SP188 cartons: US 'forbidden aboard passenger aircraft' marking or CAO label
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
For the importer in United States
- HTSUS classification from the broker (8507.60.0010 vs .0020 decides the Section 301 line)
- 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
One consistent file
A document that is present but inconsistent holds a booking as surely as a missing one: the UN number, model name or carton count reads differently in the Lianyungang export filings, the carrier booking and the United States import papers. We compare all three before confirming space.
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 Lianyungang to Ketchikan, and who acts
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| One of the four documents inconsistent with the others | Lianyungang MSA filing | Cross-check before submission | Anxin with the declarant |
| 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 |
| SP188 cartons without the US marking | Discharge and onward trucking | Marking or CAO label checked on carton photos before stuffing | Shipper, checked by Anxin |
Questions
Lianyungang → Ketchikan: questions we are asked
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.
Under its Notice No. 1 of 2024, the cargo side submits the DG safe-carriage declaration, the inspector-signed packing certificate, the packaging inspection certificate where the goods are packaged, and a power of attorney.
References
Where these points come from
- 19 CFR 134.11: Country of origin marking required (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
- Section 301 Modifications Determination (Federal Register notice, Sept 2024) (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative)
- 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)
- 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)
- Sea fog in the Yellow and Bohai Seas (fog season mainly April–July) (China Meteorological Administration (from Guangming Daily))
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Lianyungang
- 5ImportClearance at Ketchikan
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Lianyungang → Ketchikan before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Lianyungang · United States ports
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