Qingdao (Qianwan)
Qianwan exports from Shandong, where Qingdao MSA's one-document pilot cuts repeat filings for cargo moved between terminals by water.
Northeast Asia · sea freight from Qingdao
Shipping from Qingdao to Chiba
Qingdao to Chiba
Yellow Sea · East China Sea
- QingdaoChina origin
- Yellow Sea
- East China Sea
- ChibaJapan
Lithium batteries for Chiba go out of Qingdao on the Yellow Sea, where April to July is fog season. On the way they face a short-sea route within Asia, and they arrive at the port of Chiba.
Japan adds PSE rules for the importer and 24-hour advance filing through NACCS. This page sets out 6 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.
What we need to start
- Fog season Apr–Jul
- Qianwan export
- NACCS 24-hour rule
- Port captain
- PSE importer
Route profile
What sets Qingdao → Chiba apart
Intra-Asia
A short-sea Asian route with no canal or chokepoint, where typhoons in summer and the north-east monsoon in winter set the pace.
Where this route gets difficult
6 pain points from Qingdao to Chiba
In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Chiba and at customs in Japan.
- Origin port
Energy-storage systems follow Shandong's own ESS guide
Shandong MSA has issued a waterway safe-transport guide specifically for lithium battery energy storage systems at Shandong coastal ports, so ESS units shipped from Qingdao should be prepared with that provincial guide in mind as well as the IMDG Code.
What Anxin does: For ESS cargo we review the unit's packing and securing plan against the Shandong guide with the packing site before booking.
- Origin port
Qingdao's fog season runs April to July
The China Meteorological Administration describes sea fog as one of the major marine hazards of the Yellow and Bohai Seas, with the season mainly from April to July and a serious effect on sea transport. Fog holds at Qingdao can move a battery box to another vessel, and the DG filings have to move with it.
What Anxin does: In fog season we leave slack between stuffing and the DG cut-off at Qianwan and keep the cargo report ready to amend quickly if the vessel changes.
- Sea corridor
Yellow Sea fog, April to July
The China Meteorological Administration describes sea fog as a major marine hazard in the Yellow and Bohai Seas, mainly from April to July. Short Yellow Sea crossings are the ones most exposed: a fog hold at either end can move the box to a later vessel, and the DG filings with it.
What Anxin does: In fog season we leave slack between stuffing and the DG cut-off and keep the filing data ready to amend.
- Import country
PSE notification sits with the Japanese importer
Under Japan's Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act, the importer of lithium-ion storage batteries notifies METI, inspects each lot and marks it PSE with its name. For a container arriving at Chiba, the questions are who that importer is and whether the batteries leave Qingdao already marked.
What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the Japanese buyer who holds the PSE notification for the product, so the goods leaving Qingdao are marked with the right supplier's name.
- Import country
Port captain's directions for dangerous goods
Under Japan's Port Regulations Act a ship carrying dangerous goods of the categories MLIT lists must seek the port captain's directions outside the port limits before entering a specified port such as Chiba, anchor or moor where the captain says, and get permission to load, transship or unload them. The ship's side needs accurate DG data well before arrival.
What Anxin does: We confirm the DG class, UN number and quantities on the carrier's manifest before sailing, so the ship's agent has what it needs for the port captain.
- Import country
Collection duties for mobile batteries from April 2026
From 1 April 2026 the amended Resource Effective Utilization Act made mobile batteries, mobile phones and heated-tobacco devices designated recycling products, which manufacturers and importers must collect and recycle against collection targets. Sealed lithium storage batteries were already covered, with JBRC running joint collection.
What Anxin does: For consumer batteries and devices to Chiba we ask the importer how it meets its collection duty, for example through JBRC, before the first order.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Qingdao → Chiba
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 Qingdao
- Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
- 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)
- PSE mark and Japanese supplier name on product before packing
- Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
For the shipping line
- House B/L data sent in time for the NACCS pre-departure filing
- Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
- Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
For import into Japan
- Importer of record matches the PSE notification holder
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 Japan before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Chiba.
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 Chiba, and who acts
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fog hold forces a vessel change after filing | Qingdao, Apr–Jul | Slack in schedule; amendment-ready filing | Anxin with the declarant |
| Batteries cannot be sold without PSE marking | Japanese market | Importer's notification and marking confirmed before shipment | Japanese importer |
Questions
Qingdao → Chiba: questions we are asked
In a specified port the Port Regulations Act requires the port captain's permission to load or unload dangerous goods of the listed categories, and directions before entering.
Typhoons occur all year in the western North Pacific, but most in August and September: the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 averages are 5.7 and 5.0 typhoons in those months.
Mainly April to July, according to the China Meteorological Administration, which calls sea fog a major hazard for Yellow Sea transport.
References
Regulations and port sources cited
- Advance Filing Rules on Maritime Container Cargo Information (pre-departure filing) (Japan Customs)
- The Advance Filing Rules on Maritime Container Cargo Information (Guidance) (Japan Customs)
- FAQ on lithium-ion storage batteries under the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
- Procedures of the notifying suppliers based on the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
- Initiatives under the Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources (designated resource-recycling products: lithium storage batteries) (METI Resource Circulation Economy Division (via JCPRA))
- Port Regulations Act (Act No. 174 of 1948), English translation (Ministry of Justice, Japanese Law Translation)
- Typhoon statistics: average number of typhoons (1991–2020) (Japan Meteorological Agency)
- Sea fog in the Yellow and Bohai Seas (fog season mainly April–July) (China Meteorological Administration (from Guangming Daily))
- '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 Chiba
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Qingdao → Chiba before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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