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.
Africa · sea freight from Qingdao
Shipping from Qingdao to El Dekheila
Qingdao to El Dekheila
Yellow Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Red Sea · Suez Canal · Mediterranean Sea
- QingdaoChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Red Sea
- Suez Canal
- Mediterranean Sea
- El DekheilaEgypt
This route runs through Qingdao's Qianwan terminals, then follows a Suez corridor that Mediterranean services are using again more than any other Asia–Europe lane; at the far end is Alexandria, where the DG manifest is due 48 hours before berthing.
On the Egyptian side the ACI system needs the exporter on CargoX and the documents uploaded before the ship arrives. 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
- Qianwan export
- One-document pilot
- Importers Register entry (GOEIC)
- DG manifest 48 h before berthing
- Onward transport within 7 days
Route profile
The Qingdao → El Dekheila route in brief
Alexandria and El Dekheila
A DG manifest 48 hours before berthing, Civil Protection approval to discharge, and at most 7 days in port for dangerous-goods containers.
Where this route gets difficult
Where Qingdao → El Dekheila shipments get held up: 5 points
They run from the Qingdao terminal through the voyage to El Dekheila and the Egypt import file.
- Origin port
One filing for transhipment between Qingdao terminals
Qingdao MSA's 'one-document, one-box' pilot has since November 2024 covered water-to-water transhipment of lithium batteries and other 'new three' cargo between Dagang and Qianwan, with one outbound cargo report and no more than one packing inspection within the pilot ports. In the launch case, three cargo and three ship reports became one cargo and two ship reports.
What Anxin does: If your cargo is stuffed at a Dagang yard or reaches Qianwan by water, we check at booking whether it qualifies for the pilot and file once, so the box is not reopened between terminals.
- 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.
- Destination port
Seven days in port, with Civil Protection approval
Decision No. 2171/2020 for Alexandria and El Dekheila says dangerous-goods containers may not be discharged without the Civil Protection Administration's approval, and that it may let them stay in port for no more than 7 days before they move to an external facility under its supervision. The DG manifest must be in 48 hours before berthing.
What Anxin does: We line up the importer's clearance and haulage before the ship reaches El Dekheila, so the container can leave inside the 7-day window.
- Import country
The broker needs a registered power of attorney or a Nafeza authorisation
Under Customs Law No. 207 of 2020 and its Executive Regulations, a broker can only clear a private-sector shipment in Egypt with an official power of attorney through the Real Estate Registry or an electronic authorisation on Nafeza. Without it the broker at El Dekheila cannot act for the importer, however complete the ACI file is.
What Anxin does: We ask the importer which broker will clear the container and whether its Nafeza authorisation is in place before the ship arrives.
- Import country
No ACID on the bill of lading, no unloading
Egypt's Advance Cargo Information system needs a 19-digit ACID number, obtained by the Egyptian importer on Nafeza before the cargo leaves Qingdao, on every shipping document including the bill of lading. Customs' own guidance is blunt: bills of lading without an ACID are not unloaded, and the goods are re-shipped out of Egypt at the carrier's expense.
What Anxin does: We do not release a booking for El Dekheila until the importer has sent the ACID number, and we check it appears on the bill of lading draft, invoice and packing list.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Qingdao → El Dekheila
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.
In Qingdao, before the box is loaded
- Confirmation whether the Dagang–Qianwan one-document pilot applies; a single cargo report filed at the first port of loading
- Class 9 placards on all sides; manifest sticker for mixed loads
- ACID number from the importer, printed on B/L draft, invoice and packing list
- Shipper's CargoX account verified; documents uploaded 48 h before arrival
- Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
For the carrier and the voyage
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
- Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
At the Egypt end
- Clearance and haulage lined up to leave the port within 7 days
- Importers Register status (GOEIC)
Before you book
Match the details first
We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Qingdao filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for Egypt before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at El Dekheila.
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 Qingdao to El Dekheila, and who acts
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duplicate filing or reopening between Qingdao terminals | Dagang → Qianwan | Pilot eligibility checked at booking; single cargo report | Anxin with the declarant |
| Heavy weather off South Africa on a Cape sailing | Cape of Good Hope | CINS stuffing checks | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| Container exceeds the 7-day stay | Alexandria / El Dekheila | Clearance and trucks arranged before arrival | Importer |
| Cargo not unloaded and re-shipped for a missing ACID | Egyptian port of discharge | ACID checked on the B/L draft before release | Importer / Anxin |
Questions
Qingdao → El Dekheila: questions we are asked
Under Decision No. 2171/2020 the Civil Protection Administration may allow dangerous-goods containers to stay no more than 7 days before transfer to an external facility.
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.
Under Qingdao MSA's 'one-document, one-box' pilot (since November 2024), water-to-water transhipment between Dagang and Qianwan needs one outbound cargo report and at most one packing inspection. We confirm eligibility at booking.
References
Regulations and port sources cited
- ACI: frequently asked questions (Egyptian Customs Authority)
- JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
- 'One-document, one-box' pilot for water-to-water transhipment of new-energy dangerous goods starts in Qingdao (Chinese), 12 November 2024 (China Transport News)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Qingdao
- 5ImportClearance at El Dekheila
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Qingdao → El Dekheila before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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