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Europe · sea freight from Shanghai

Shipping from Shanghai to Varna

Shanghai to Varna

East China Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Bosporus · Black Sea

Sea corridor illustration: Shanghai to Varna, Bulgaria Simplified map with a curved corridor from Shanghai via East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Bosporus, Black Sea to Varna. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIACENTRAL ASIA Singapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez Canal ShanghaiCHINA ORIGIN VarnaBULGARIA ShanghaiEAST CHINA SEAJIANGSUZHEJIANGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. ShanghaiChina origin
  2. East China Sea
  3. Taiwan Strait
  4. Malacca Strait
  5. Indian Ocean
  6. Bab-el-Mandeb
  7. Suez Canal
  8. Bosporus
  9. Black Sea
  10. VarnaBulgaria
Geographic corridor illustration only, not a vessel track, port-call list or sailing schedule. The loading terminal, carrier, transshipment and dates are confirmed per shipment.

From Shanghai to Varna, cargo moves from the Yangtze River Delta via Shanghai's Yangshan and Waigaoqiao terminals, crosses a Suez, Aegean and Bosporus passage into the Black Sea, and is discharged at the port of Varna.

Bulgaria applies the EU Battery Regulation, starting with registration in its own national producer register. 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

  • Yangshan / Waigaoqiao export
  • Photo-verified packing certificate
  • Consignee EORI
  • National producer registration
  • EU declaration of conformity
Ask about this route Bulgaria ports from Shanghai

Route profile

How Shanghai → Varna differs from other lanes

Origin port

Shanghai (Yangshan / Waigaoqiao)

Yangshan and Waigaoqiao exports under Shanghai MSA's photo-verified packing system, where a mismatch between photos and EDI data keeps a DG box off the ship.

Import country

Bulgaria

The EU Battery Regulation's national registration, CE marking and label duties, and the ICS2 entry summary before loading.

Yangshan deep-water port near Shanghai seen from a hillside, with container stacks and gantry cranes
A loaded container ship on the horizon

Where this route gets difficult

5 pain points from Shanghai to Varna

In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Varna and at customs in Bulgaria.

  1. Origin port

    Not every Shanghai warehouse can stuff lithium DG

    Shanghai MSA's 2024 draft reporting guide says warehouses that stuff lithium battery dangerous goods must provide fire-department proof of their fire hazard classification and fire-resistance rating. The site's information must also be up to date on the Shanghai single window, which took over MSA account and site records in 2026.

    What Anxin does: We only propose stuffing sites that can show the fire-safety documents and are on Shanghai MSA's system; if you use your own warehouse, we check this before booking.

  2. Sea corridor

    Bab el-Mandeb and Suez come first

    To reach the Black Sea a ship passes Suez. Mediterranean-type services took the Red Sea routing 57% of the time in September 2026, and the JMIC rated Bab el-Mandeb SUBSTANTIAL, with the Houthis in control of Perim Island in the channel.

    What Anxin does: We ask the carrier which routing the service uses and name it on the quote.

  3. Import country

    CE marking and a declaration of conformity in the right language

    The importer in Bulgaria carries the check: CE marking on the battery and an EU declaration of conformity, translated into the language Bulgaria asks for, have both been required since 18 August 2024 for batteries entering the EU market.

    What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer in China for the declaration of conformity and a photo of the CE marking on the battery or its packaging before loading, and pass them to the Bulgaria importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.

  4. Import country

    A producer registration in Bulgaria before the first sale

    Registration under the Battery Regulation is Member State by Member State. The first company to make the batteries available in Bulgaria has to appear in the national register, which can take up to 12 weeks after a complete file, and a non-resident brand must work through an authorised representative there.

    What Anxin does: At booking we ask which company is the producer of record in Bulgaria and for its registration number there, so a missing registration surfaces while the goods are still in Shanghai rather than after discharge in Varna.

  5. Import country

    Mercury, cadmium and lead limits in portable batteries

    Annex I of the Battery Regulation caps mercury at 0.0005 %, cadmium at 0.002 % and lead at 0.01 % by weight in portable batteries, and the lead limit has applied since 18 August 2024. Market surveillance in Bulgaria can ask the importer to show that the goods meet these limits.

    What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the Bulgaria importer; we do not test batteries.

Locator map of Varna, BulgariaVarna
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (43.18°N, 27.97°E).
Container ship alongside blue gantry cranes at the Juan Carlos I dock, Algeciras

Documents & compliance

Checklist for Shanghai → Varna

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.

Before loading in Shanghai

  • Stuffing site registered and geo-verified with Shanghai MSA; fire-safety proof for lithium DG warehouses
  • Importer name, trade name and postal address printed on battery or packaging
  • Annex V safety documentation confirmed for stationary storage systems
  • Substance declaration covering mercury, cadmium and lead limits
  • Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report

For the carrier and the voyage

  • Final DG manifest data ready before the vessel reaches the Turkish Straits
  • Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
  • Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)

For the importer in Bulgaria

  • Producer of record in Bulgaria and its national registration number
  • Haulier in Bulgaria 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
Warehouse with red racking and pallets of boxes
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 Shanghai filings, the carrier booking and the Bulgaria 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

Risk table for Shanghai → Varna

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
No producer registration in Bulgaria when the goods arriveBulgaria market surveillanceProducer of record and registration number confirmed at bookingImporter / brand owner
Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required languageImporter in BulgariaDeclaration and CE photo collected before loadingManufacturer / importer

Questions

Shanghai → Varna: 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 Bulgaria requires. Both have applied since 18 August 2024.

A Sailing Plan 1 to the Turkish Straits VTS at least 24 hours before entry, including the dangerous cargo classes on board.

It can, but Shanghai MSA checks the phone location of the packing photos against a verified stuffing site, and sites outside Shanghai must be registered with it. We confirm registration before the stuffing date; otherwise the container can be refused for loading.

References

Official sources for this page

  1. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  2. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  3. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  4. Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulation (English translation) (Republic of Türkiye (translation published by VDA))
  5. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  6. Notice on the trial of the remote smart management system for DG container packing (Chinese), 12 November 2021 (Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration)

Next step

From enquiry to import

  1. 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
  2. 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
  3. 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
  4. 4HandoverAt Shanghai
  5. 5ImportClearance at Varna
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Shanghai → Varna

Origin and destination are filled in; add the cargo facts you have.

Sending this form starts a review; it does not confirm carriage. Full enquiry form

After you send it

We check carrier acceptance for Shanghai → Varna before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Shanghai · Bulgaria ports

Workers loading cartons from pallets by hand in a warehouse

Need Shanghai → Varna reviewed?

Share the cargo facts; we review the route in writing.

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