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.
Europe · sea freight from Shanghai
Shipping from Shanghai to Saint-Brieuc
Shanghai to Saint-Brieuc
East China Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel
- ShanghaiChina origin
- East China Sea
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Strait of Gibraltar
- English Channel
- Saint-BrieucFrance
From Shanghai to Saint-Brieuc, cargo moves through Yangshan or Waigaoqiao under Shanghai MSA's photo-verified packing rules, crosses a lane whose routing, Suez or Cape of Good Hope, is decided service by service, and is discharged at the port of Saint-Brieuc.
France asks for a batteries IDU and eco-organisme membership before the first sale. Below are 5 route-specific points to plan for, what we do about each, and the documents to have ready before booking.
What we need to start
- Yangshan / Waigaoqiao export
- Photo-verified packing certificate
- French-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
- EU declaration of conformity
Route profile
The Shanghai → Saint-Brieuc route in brief
France
An IDU from SYDEREP for the batteries stream, eco-organisme membership now required for every battery category, and the EU-wide CE and label duties.
Where this route gets difficult
Where Shanghai → Saint-Brieuc shipments get held up: 5 points
Listed from loading in Shanghai to import into France, each with what we do about it.
- Origin port
Shanghai MSA spot-checks after the filing too
Shanghai MSA's Notice No. 4 of 2024 lets the shipper use either an inspector-signed packing certificate or a packing declaration from the stuffing company, but the responsibility stays with the shipper: UN-tested batteries, protected against damage, short circuit and accidental activation. MSA spot-checks during and after the process and can ask for proof.
What Anxin does: We keep a file per container (UN38.3 summary, SDS, packing photos, terminal protection details) so that proof can be produced the same day if Shanghai MSA asks for it after sailing.
- Sea corridor
Cape waters saw about a third of 2024's container losses
Round-Africa routing puts battery containers through South African waters. Of the 576 containers the World Shipping Council recorded as lost at sea in 2024, the South African Maritime Safety Authority estimates about 200, roughly 35%, went overboard near the Cape. In August 2024 alone, SAMSA reported 99 boxes lost from the CMA CGM Belem off Richards Bay and 46 from the MSC Antonio off Port St Johns in wintry weather.
What Anxin does: When the booking goes via the Cape, we apply the CINS stuffing checks (gaps, blocking, wall clearance) more strictly and ask for photos at every stage of packing.
- Import country
The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Shanghai
For Saint-Brieuc, EU security pre-filing happens at the other end of the voyage: the ICS2 entry summary must reach the system 24 hours before the container is loaded in Shanghai. No filing means no loading, and a missing EORI number is enough to reject it.
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 Shanghai cut-off.
- Import country
Safety documentation for stationary storage systems
Since 18 August 2024 a stationary battery energy storage system placed on the EU market must be safe in normal operation, and its technical documentation must show testing against the Annex V safety parameters, from thermal shock and short-circuit protection to over-discharge and thermal propagation. Buyers of ESS cabinets in France increasingly ask for that file before delivery.
What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for France we ask the manufacturer to confirm that the Annex V test documentation exists before booking and note the answer in the shipment file.
- Import country
Safety information in a language France accepts
An importer has to ensure that batteries are accompanied by instructions and safety information in a language that end-users in France can easily understand, as the Member State determines. Inserts and carton print are much simpler to adjust before packing in China.
What Anxin does: We ask the importer which language France requires and check carton and insert photos against it before loading.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Shanghai → Saint-Brieuc
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
In Shanghai, before the box is loaded
- Per-container evidence file (UN38.3 summary, SDS, photos, short-circuit protection) kept for Shanghai MSA spot checks
- EU declaration of conformity and CE marking photo from the manufacturer
- 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
For the shipping line
- Routing (Suez or Cape of Good Hope) and any transhipment port stated on the booking confirmation
- 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 France end
- Instructions and safety information in the language France requires
- Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
- Haulier in France briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
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 Shanghai export filings, the carrier booking and the France 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
Risk table for Shanghai → Saint-Brieuc
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-event spot check finds missing proof | Shanghai MSA | Evidence file kept per container | Shipper with Anxin |
| Heavy weather off South Africa | Cape of Good Hope | CINS stuffing and blocking checks before sealing | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| ENS not filed and the box is refused at loading | Loading port, Shanghai | EORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at booking | Filer (carrier / forwarder) |
| Storage system delivered without Annex V test file | Buyer in France | Test documentation confirmed before booking | Manufacturer |
Questions
Shanghai → Saint-Brieuc: 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.
Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports are in the EU Emissions Trading System, covering 50% of the emissions of a voyage from outside the EU. Lines must surrender allowances for 70% of 2025 emissions and 100% from 2027, and may pass the cost on as a surcharge.
Shanghai MSA's Notice No. 4 of 2024 accepts either an inspector-signed packing certificate or a packing declaration issued by the stuffing company. Either way, the shipper remains responsible and must provide proof if MSA spot-checks.
References
Official sources for this page
- 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)
- Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
- Search on for containers lost overboard off South Africa's Indian Ocean coast (South African Maritime Safety Authority)
- Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
- Shanghai MSA Notice No. 4 of 2024 on declaring lithium battery dangerous-goods containers (Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Shanghai
- 5ImportClearance at Saint-Brieuc
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Shanghai → Saint-Brieuc before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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