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Europe · sea freight from Shanghai

Shipping from Shanghai to Cartagena

Shanghai to Cartagena

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

Sea corridor illustration: Shanghai to Cartagena, Spain Simplified map with a curved corridor from Shanghai via East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Ionian Sea, Sicily Channel to Cartagena. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIAAFRICACENTRAL ASIAINDIAN OCEAN Singapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez CanalSicily Channel ShanghaiCHINA ORIGIN CartagenaSPAIN 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. Ionian Sea
  9. Sicily Channel
  10. CartagenaSpain
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 Cartagena, cargo moves out of Shanghai, crosses a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and is discharged at the port of Cartagena.

Spain wants the producer on the RII-PYA register, with its number on the invoice. The 5 points below are particular to this lane; each comes with what we do and the paperwork it touches.

What we need to start

  • Yangshan / Waigaoqiao export
  • Photo-verified packing certificate
  • RII-PYA number
  • Spanish-language safety information
  • Consignee EORI
Ask about this route Spain ports from Shanghai

Route profile

The Shanghai → Cartagena 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

Spain

Spain's RII-PYA number on invoices, quarterly data that counts batteries inside equipment, EU importer duties and ADR for the road leg.

Yangshan deep-water port near Shanghai seen from a hillside, with container stacks and gantry cranes
A cargo ship at anchor in calm water under a clear sky

Where this route gets difficult

5 pain points from Shanghai to Cartagena

They run from the Shanghai terminal through the voyage to Cartagena and the Spain import file.

  1. 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.

  2. Sea corridor

    The round-Africa alternative

    Services that avoid the Red Sea, 43% of the Mediterranean total, go round the Cape of Good Hope and re-enter through Gibraltar. SAMSA estimates that about 200 of the 576 containers lost at sea in 2024, 35% of the total, went overboard near the Cape.

    What Anxin does: On Cape sailings we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.

  3. Import country

    Battery label from August 2026, QR code from February 2027

    The Battery Regulation's general information label applies from 18 August 2026 (or 18 months after the label implementing act, if later), and every battery needs a QR code from 18 February 2027, linked to a battery passport for EV, LMT and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. Where the battery is too small, both go on the packaging and accompanying documents.

    What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the Spain 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.

  4. Import country

    Batteries inside equipment count, quarter by quarter

    The Spanish register covers batteries built into electrical equipment as well as loose cells, removable or not. Quantities are declared per quarter; mistakes can be corrected until 25 January of the next year, and any change in registration data must be updated within a month.

    What Anxin does: When batteries travel inside devices we list battery quantity and chemistry separately on the packing list, so the importer can report them without reopening cartons.

  5. Import country

    Built-in portable batteries must be user-replaceable from February 2027

    From 18 February 2027, Article 11 requires portable batteries built into appliances to be readily removable and replaceable by the end-user with commercially available tools, without heat or solvents, apart from limited derogations. Appliances shipped to Spain for sale after that date need a design that meets the rule.

    What Anxin does: When appliances with built-in batteries are booked for Spain 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 Cartagena, SpainCartagena
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (37.58°N, 0.98°W).
Aerial view of a container yard with rows of colourful containers at the Port of Barcelona

Documents & compliance

Documents to line up for Shanghai → Cartagena

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.

At the Shanghai end

  • 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
  • Transport-condition classification report where applicable

Carrier and 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 Spain

  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
  • Haulier in Spain briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
  • RII-PYA registration number of the Spanish producer
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 Spain 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

Risks on this route and who deals with them

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Heavy weather off South Africa on a Cape sailingCape of Good HopeCINS stuffing checksPacking site, checked by Anxin
Embedded batteries left out of the quarterly declarationImporter in SpainBattery data on the packing listImporter
Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026Importer in SpainLabel status confirmed before bookingManufacturer / importer

Questions

Questions about shipping from Shanghai to Cartagena

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.

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

  1. Registro de Pilas y Acumuladores: preguntas frecuentes (Ministerio de Industria y Turismo)
  2. Registro de Pilas y Acumuladores (RII-PYA) (Ministerio de Industria y Turismo)
  3. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  4. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  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)
  7. Shanghai MSA Notice No. 4 of 2024 on declaring lithium battery dangerous-goods containers (Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration)
  8. Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))

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 Cartagena
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Shanghai → Cartagena

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

All destinations from Shanghai · Spain ports

A forklift moving palletised cartons in a warehouse

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