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Europe · sea freight from Shanghai

Shipping from Shanghai to Figueira da Foz

Shanghai to Figueira da Foz

East China Sea · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Sicily Channel · Strait of Gibraltar

Sea corridor illustration: Shanghai to Figueira da Foz, Portugal Simplified map with a curved corridor from Shanghai via East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Sicily Channel, Strait of Gibraltar to Figueira da Foz. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIAAFRICAEUROPEINDIAN OCEAN Singapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez CanalGibraltar ShanghaiCHINA ORIGIN Figueira da FozPORTUGAL 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. Sicily Channel
  9. Strait of Gibraltar
  10. Figueira da FozPortugal
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 Figueira da Foz go from the Yangtze River Delta via Shanghai's Yangshan and Waigaoqiao terminals. On the way they face a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and they arrive at the port of Figueira da Foz.

Portugal registers battery producers with APA on SILiAmb. 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

  • Photo-verified packing certificate
  • Yangshan / Waigaoqiao export
  • SILiAmb / APA registration
  • Portuguese-language safety information
  • Consignee EORI
Ask about this route Portugal ports from Shanghai

Route profile

How Shanghai → Figueira da Foz 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.

Sea corridor

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.

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

What to watch between Shanghai and Figueira da Foz: 5 points

Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Figueira da Foz and the Portugal market.

  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

    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 Figueira da Foz 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 Figueira da Foz uses and name it on the quote, together with any war-risk or emergency surcharge.

  3. Import country

    Instructions and safety information in the language of Portugal

    Importers must make sure batteries come with instructions and safety information in a language end-users in Portugal easily understand, as that Member State decides. Printed inserts and carton text are far easier to change before the goods are packed in China.

    What Anxin does: We ask the importer which language Portugal requires and check carton and insert photos against it before loading.

  4. Import country

    Annex V testing for stationary energy storage

    Stationary battery energy storage systems placed on the EU market since 18 August 2024 must be safe in normal operation, with technical documentation showing tests against the Annex V parameters, including thermal shock, short-circuit protection, over-discharge and thermal propagation. ESS buyers in Portugal increasingly ask for that file before delivery.

    What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for Portugal we ask the manufacturer to confirm that the Annex V test documentation exists before booking and note the answer in the shipment file.

  5. Import country

    User-replaceable batteries in appliances from 18 February 2027

    Article 11 of the Battery Regulation says that from 18 February 2027 portable batteries inside appliances must be readily removable and replaceable by the end-user using commercially available tools, without heat or solvents, except under limited derogations. Appliances sold in Portugal after that date need a design that complies.

    What Anxin does: When appliances with built-in batteries are booked for Portugal we point the importer to the February 2027 date so the manufacturer answers the design question before shipment; we do not assess compliance.

Locator map of Figueira da Foz, PortugalFigueira da Foz
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (40.15°N, 8.85°W).
Blue container gantry cranes on a quay at the Port of Algeciras

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Shanghai to Figueira da Foz

Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.

At the Shanghai end

  • 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 shipping line

  • Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
  • Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
  • Consignee EORI and HS-level description to the ENS filer before loading

At the Portugal end

  • Instructions and safety information in the language Portugal requires
  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
  • Haulier in Portugal briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
An electric scooter parked by a wall
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 Portugal 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 → Figueira da Foz

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Security incident near Bab el-Mandeb changes the routing or adds surchargesSouthern Red SeaRouting and surcharges stated in writing before bookingCarrier, checked by Anxin
Storage system delivered without Annex V test fileBuyer in PortugalTest documentation confirmed before bookingManufacturer

Questions

Common questions on the Shanghai → Figueira da Foz route

ADR, which the EU applies to domestic journeys through Directive 2008/68/EC. UN 3480 is class 9, transport category 2, with tunnel restriction code (E).

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.

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

Where these points come from

  1. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  2. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  3. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  4. Notice on the trial of the remote smart management system for DG container packing (Chinese), 12 November 2021 (Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration)
  5. Shanghai MSA Notice No. 4 of 2024 on declaring lithium battery dangerous-goods containers (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 Figueira da Foz
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Shanghai → Figueira da Foz

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 → Figueira da Foz before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Shanghai · Portugal ports

Trailers backed up to the loading docks of a warehouse

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