Lithium battery freight focus Air · Sea · Land assessment Document-first planning
Shipment Status & Support

North America · sea freight from Shanghai

Shipping from Shanghai to Everett

Shanghai to Everett

East China Sea · Korea Strait · Sea of Japan · Tsugaru Strait · North Pacific · Strait of Juan de Fuca

Sea corridor illustration: Shanghai to Everett, United States Simplified map with a curved corridor from Shanghai via East China Sea, Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, Tsugaru Strait, North Pacific, Strait of Juan de Fuca to Everett. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINA Tsugaru StraitNorth Pacific ShanghaiCHINA ORIGIN EverettUNITED STATES ShanghaiEAST CHINA SEAJIANGSUZHEJIANGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. ShanghaiChina origin
  2. East China Sea
  3. Korea Strait
  4. Sea of Japan
  5. Tsugaru Strait
  6. North Pacific
  7. Strait of Juan de Fuca
  8. EverettUnited States
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.

This route runs from the Yangtze River Delta via Shanghai's Yangshan and Waigaoqiao terminals, then follows a North Pacific corridor with no canal or chokepoint; at the far end is the port of Everett.

US entry is decided as much by paperwork filed in China as by anything at the port. 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
  • ISF filer
  • Supply-chain tracing file
  • HTS code 8507.60

Route profile

What sets Shanghai → Everett apart

Sea corridor

Transpacific (North Pacific)

No canal or Red Sea passage, but a North Pacific crossing where winter storms have collapsed container stacks.

Import country

United States

US entry hinges on filings made in China (ISF and AMS), a traceable lithium supply chain and a road leg that is regulated as a hazmat move.

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 → Everett shipments get held up: 5 points

In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Everett and at customs in United States.

  1. 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.

  2. Sea corridor

    Winter storms with hurricane-force winds

    NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center found hurricane-force winds (64 knots and above) in North Pacific mid-latitude storms in every month from October to April, peaking in December, with 15 to 23 such storms per season in its 2001–2004 records. They are not typhoons, so they do not follow the tropical calendar.

    What Anxin does: For October–April sailings we check blocking and bracing on stuffing photos before sealing and confirm the full DG data are on the manifest.

  3. Import country

    Which 8507.60 line decides the Section 301 duty

    For lithium-ion batteries entered from 1 January 2026 USTR set the Section 301 additional duty on HTSUS 8507.60.0020 (the non-EV line) at 25%, the level EV batteries under 8507.60.0010 reached in 2024. Other China-specific duties can be added and change at short notice, so the classification and the entry date both move the landed cost at Everett.

    What Anxin does: We do not give duty rulings. We make sure the invoice describes chemistry, configuration and application precisely enough for the importer's customs broker to classify it, and we flag the entry date when a vessel's arrival could straddle a duty change.

  4. Import country

    Selling in Washington from 2027 means joining a stewardship plan

    Washington's battery law (RCW 70A.555) closes the market to producers outside an approved stewardship organization from 1 January 2027, and from July 2027 retailers need the producer's certification before selling portable batteries or products that contain them.

    What Anxin does: When cargo through Everett is sold in Washington, we flag the 2027 stewardship requirement to the importer at quotation so that retailer certification is in place in time.

  5. Import country

    Button and coin cells: Reese's Law

    Consumer products containing button or coin cells manufactured or imported after 19 March 2024 must meet the UL 4200A-2023 performance and warning-label rules adopted as 16 CFR part 1263, and battery packaging labels have been mandatory since 21 September 2024. The importer also needs a certificate citing the rule.

    What Anxin does: When a shipment for Everett includes products with button or coin cells, we ask for the certificate and photos of the battery compartment warnings before booking.

Locator map of Everett, United StatesEverett
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (48.00°N, 122.22°W).
Containers on rail wagons next to a terminal in Vancouver

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Shanghai to Everett

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

  • Per-container evidence file (UN38.3 summary, SDS, photos, short-circuit protection) kept for Shanghai MSA spot checks
  • Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
  • 'Made in China' marking on articles or containers checked on photos
  • 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)

For the carrier and the voyage

  • Stuffing photos before, during and after packing, checked for blocking and bracing
  • Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
  • SP188 cartons: US 'forbidden aboard passenger aircraft' marking or CAO label

At the United States end

  • HTSUS classification from the broker (8507.60.0010 vs .0020 decides the Section 301 line)
  • Importer of record and the licensed customs broker who will file the entry
  • ISF filer named; stuffing location and consolidator sent right after packing
A cordless drill with its battery pack attached
Before you book

Match the details first

We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Shanghai filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for United States before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Everett.

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 → Everett

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Post-event spot check finds missing proofShanghai MSAEvidence file kept per containerShipper with Anxin
Heavy-weather damage in a winter stormNorth Pacific, Oct–AprCINS stuffing checksPacking site, checked by Anxin

Questions

Common questions on the Shanghai → Everett route

Yes. Under 49 CFR 171.25(b)(3), SP188 packages of UN3480 or UN3090 need the 'FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT' marking or a Cargo Aircraft Only label, and so do packages of batteries packed with or contained in equipment above 5 kg net. We check for it on carton photos before stuffing.

Weather is the main risk on this crossing: NOAA recorded hurricane-force North Pacific storms from October to April, most often in December. We tighten the packing checks for those sailings.

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.

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

Ask about Shanghai → Everett

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

All destinations from Shanghai · United States ports

Workers loading cartons from pallets by hand in a warehouse

Need Shanghai → Everett reviewed?

Share the cargo facts; we review the route in writing.

Request a Quote
Request a Quote WhatsApp