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.
Europe · sea freight from Shanghai
Shipping from Shanghai to Piraeus
Shanghai to Piraeus
East China Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Mediterranean Sea · Aegean Sea
- ShanghaiChina origin
- East China Sea
- Taiwan Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Mediterranean Sea
- Aegean Sea
- PiraeusGreece
Lithium batteries for Piraeus go through Yangshan or Waigaoqiao under Shanghai MSA's photo-verified packing rules. On the way they face a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and they arrive at a port where the terminal system decides segregation and stacking for each class 9 box.
Greece registers battery producers in EOAN's EMPA register. 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
- EMPA registration
- Greek-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
Route profile
How Shanghai → Piraeus differs from other lanes
Piraeus
Dangerous goods notified to the terminal 24 hours before arrival with an IMDG multimodal form, then segregated and stacked by the terminal system.
Where this route gets difficult
Where Shanghai → Piraeus shipments get held up: 5 points
They run from the Shanghai terminal through the voyage to Piraeus and the Greece import file.
- Origin port
Photo evidence before Shanghai issues the packing certificate
Shanghai's electronic packing certificate goes out by EDI only after the inspector has uploaded before, during and after stuffing photos through the MSA's remote system, with face recognition and phone location switched on. Missing, late or off-site photos, or photos that do not match the EDI cargo data, stop the container from loading. Stuffing sites outside Shanghai need registration with Shanghai MSA.
What Anxin does: We confirm that the stuffing site (including factory sites in Jiangsu or Zhejiang) is registered for Shanghai's remote system, and we check the photo upload against the EDI data before the packing certificate is sent.
- Sea corridor
Mediterranean services are back in the Red Sea more than others
Sea-Intelligence data for September 2026 show 57% of Asia–Mediterranean services routed via the Red Sea, against 27% for North Europe. For Piraeus the Suez routing is therefore the likely one, and it runs through Bab el-Mandeb, which the JMIC rated SUBSTANTIAL on 24 September 2026: the Houthis describe their blockade as selective, and they now hold Perim Island in the channel.
What Anxin does: We ask the carrier which routing its service to Piraeus uses and name it on the quote, together with any war-risk or emergency surcharge.
- Destination port
Segregation and stacking set by the terminal system
After checking the file, PCT loads the dangerous goods records into its CATOS system, which decides safety checks, segregation and where a unit may be stacked. A box whose data change after arrival has to go through that process again, which matters most for containers transhipped at Piraeus.
What Anxin does: We avoid changing DG data after departure; if a correction is needed, it goes to the carrier before the vessel reaches Piraeus.
- Import country
The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Shanghai
Sea cargo for the EU needs a complete Entry Summary Declaration under ICS2 Release 3, and for deep-sea containers it is due 24 hours before loading at the departure port. Carriers apply 'no manifest, no load', and a filing without a valid EORI number is rejected, so a data gap in Shanghai leaves the box on the quay.
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
The truck leg out of Piraeus runs under ADR
Road delivery from Piraeus is an ADR movement, because the EU applies ADR to domestic journeys through Directive 2008/68/EC. For UN 3480 that means class 9, transport category 2 and tunnel code (E), which restricts the route through category E tunnels; batteries found damaged at unloading move to special provision 376 packing (P908 or P911).
What Anxin does: We give the Greece haulier the same UN number, class and package details that appear on the sea dangerous goods declaration, so the ADR transport document matches the container paperwork from Shanghai.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Shanghai → Piraeus
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.
In Shanghai, before the box is loaded
- Stuffing photos (before, during, after) uploaded to Shanghai MSA's remote system before the EDI packing certificate is sent
- Stuffing site registered and geo-verified with Shanghai MSA; fire-safety proof for lithium DG warehouses
- Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
- Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
- Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
For the carrier and the voyage
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- Consignee EORI and HS-level description to the ENS filer before loading
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
For import into Greece
- Haulier in Greece 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
- Instructions and safety information in the language Greece requires
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 Greece 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 → Piraeus
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Container refused for loading: photos late, off-site or not matching EDI data | Yangshan / Waigaoqiao | Photo upload checked against EDI data before the certificate is sent | Packing inspector, checked by Anxin |
| Security incident near Bab el-Mandeb changes the routing or adds surcharges | Southern Red Sea | Routing and surcharges stated in writing before booking | Carrier, 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) |
| Road route planned through a category E tunnel | Road leg from Piraeus | Tunnel code (E) passed to the haulier with the transport data | Haulier / forwarder |
Questions
Common questions on the Shanghai → Piraeus route
The importer's: name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal address with a contact point, on the battery or, if it is too small, on the packaging or accompanying document.
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.
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
Where these points come from
- 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)
- Piraeus Container Terminal operations procedures (Piraeus Container Terminal S.A.)
- JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
- Notice on the trial of the remote smart management system for DG container packing (Chinese), 12 November 2021 (Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration)
- Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Shanghai
- 5ImportClearance at Piraeus
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Shanghai → Piraeus before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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