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Shipping from Shanghai to Thessaloniki

Shanghai to Thessaloniki

East China Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Mediterranean Sea · Aegean Sea

Sea corridor illustration: Shanghai to Thessaloniki, Greece Simplified map with a curved corridor from Shanghai via East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea to Thessaloniki. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIACENTRAL ASIASOUTH CHINA SEA Singapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez Canal ShanghaiCHINA ORIGIN ThessalonikiGREECE 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. Mediterranean Sea
  9. Aegean Sea
  10. ThessalonikiGreece
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.

Lithium batteries for Thessaloniki go out of Shanghai, where MSA spot-checks battery containers during and after filing. On the way they face a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and they arrive at the port of Thessaloniki.

Greece registers battery producers in EOAN's EMPA register. 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

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

Route profile

The Shanghai → Thessaloniki route in brief

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

Greece

EMPA registration with EOAN before the first sale, a Greek authorised representative by written mandate, and the EU-wide battery and ICS2 duties.

Yangshan deep-water port near Shanghai seen from a hillside, with container stacks and gantry cranes
A container ship under way off the Guatemalan coast

Where this route gets difficult

Where Shanghai → Thessaloniki shipments get held up: 6 points

Listed from loading in Shanghai to import into Greece, each with what we do about it.

  1. 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.

  2. Origin port

    Fire-rating proof for Shanghai stuffing warehouses

    Under Shanghai MSA's 2024 draft reporting guide, a warehouse stuffing lithium battery dangerous goods must hold fire-department proof of its fire hazard class and fire-resistance rating, and keep its details current 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.

  3. Sea corridor

    Suez is the likelier routing for Thessaloniki

    Asia–Mediterranean services used the Red Sea 57% of the time in September 2026 according to Sea-Intelligence, compared with 27% for North Europe, so a box for Thessaloniki most probably goes via Suez and through Bab el-Mandeb. The JMIC rated that strait SUBSTANTIAL on 24 September 2026; the Houthis call their blockade selective and now hold Perim Island in the channel.

    What Anxin does: We ask the carrier which routing its service to Thessaloniki uses and name it on the quote, together with any war-risk or emergency surcharge.

  4. Import country

    Battery label from August 2026, QR code from February 2027

    Two marking dates fall into current shipping plans for Greece: the general label from 18 August 2026 and the QR code from 18 February 2027, which for EV, LMT and larger industrial batteries has to open the battery passport.

    What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the Greece importer to confirm the battery category and whether the label and QR-code elements are already on the goods, and compare carton photos with that answer.

  5. Import country

    The importer's name and address on the battery

    A battery entering Greece has to identify its importer: name, registered trade name or trade mark, postal address and a contact point belong on the battery itself, or on the packaging or accompanying document when the battery is too small. That text is fixed at the factory, not at Thessaloniki.

    What Anxin does: We pass the Greece importer's name and address block to the manufacturer before the goods are packed in China and check carton or battery photos for it before loading.

  6. Import country

    Due diligence on battery raw materials from August 2027

    Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 pushed the Battery Regulation's due diligence duties for cobalt, lithium, nickel and natural graphite back to 18 August 2027 and gave the Commission until 26 July 2026 for its guidelines. Buyers in Greece are already collecting the supply-chain information they will need.

    What Anxin does: We pass the Greece buyer's due diligence questions to the manufacturer and keep their answers with the shipment file; the policy itself remains the producer's responsibility.

Locator map of Thessaloniki, GreeceThessaloniki
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (40.63°N, 22.93°E).
Blue container gantry cranes on a quay at the Port of Algeciras

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Shanghai to Thessaloniki

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
  • 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

For the carrier and the voyage

  • Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
  • UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
  • Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)

At the Greece end

  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
  • Haulier in Greece briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
  • EMPA registration of the producer (or Greek authorised representative)
An electric scooter parked by a wall
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 Greece 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

Risks on this route and who deals with them

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Container refused for loading: photos late, off-site or not matching EDI dataYangshan / WaigaoqiaoPhoto upload checked against EDI data before the certificate is sentPacking inspector, checked by Anxin
Security incident near Bab el-Mandeb changes the routing or adds surchargesSouthern Red SeaRouting and surcharges stated in writing before bookingCarrier, checked by Anxin
Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026Importer in GreeceLabel status confirmed before bookingManufacturer / importer
Importer details missing from battery and packagingImporter in GreeceAddress block sent to the factory before packingManufacturer / importer

Questions

Questions about shipping from Shanghai to Thessaloniki

The CE marking on the battery and the manufacturer's EU declaration of conformity, which must be available in the language Greece requires. Both have applied since 18 August 2024.

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

Official sources for this page

  1. Manual for the registration of producers in the National Producers Register (EMPA) (Hellenic Recycling Agency (EOAN))
  2. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  3. Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 as regards due diligence obligations (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  4. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  5. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  6. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  7. 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 Thessaloniki
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Shanghai → Thessaloniki

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 → Thessaloniki before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Shanghai · Greece ports

A forklift moving palletised cartons in a warehouse

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