Shenzhen (Yantian / Shekou)
Pearl River Delta battery cargo, often stuffed at factories in Dongguan or Huizhou, exported through Yantian or Shekou, with a typhoon season from June to October.
Europe · sea freight from Shenzhen
Shipping from Shenzhen to Szczecin
Shenzhen to Szczecin
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel · Danish Straits
- ShenzhenChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Strait of Gibraltar
- English Channel
- Danish Straits
- SzczecinPoland
This route runs out of Shenzhen's Yantian and Shekou terminals, then follows a Suez-or-Cape voyage that ends with the Danish straits and the Baltic; at the far end is the port of Szczecin.
The Polish side adds the BDO number to the EU battery rules. 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
- Yantian / Shekou export
- Typhoon season Jun–Oct
- Polish-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
- EU declaration of conformity
Route profile
The Shenzhen → Szczecin route in brief
Asia – Baltic via the Danish straits
The Baltic is reached only through the Danish straits, where deep-draught ships are advised to take pilots, and its northern ports set ice-class restrictions every winter.
Where this route gets difficult
6 points to plan for on the Shenzhen → Szczecin route
In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Szczecin and at customs in Poland.
- Origin port
Packaging certificates are now visible to both customs and MSA
Much of Shenzhen's battery cargo is made in Dongguan, home to more than 500 battery firms. In September 2026 Dongguan Customs and Dongguan MSA began sharing dangerous-goods packaging certificate data, described as a first in China, and committed to joint action against concealed and false declarations. The one-box route to Yantian, which had moved 409 containers by then, rests on that same record.
What Anxin does: We compare the packaging certificate with the MSA cargo report (UN number, packaging code, number of packages) before either goes in, so the shared data shows no gap.
- Origin port
Typhoon season squeezes Shenzhen cut-offs
The Hong Kong Observatory puts the regional tropical cyclone season from June to October, busiest July to September. DG containers need their MSA filings approved and a signed packing certificate before loading, so a closed gate or a rolled vessel in typhoon weeks can push the whole document chain to a new sailing.
What Anxin does: From June to October we build slack into the stuffing date, confirm the DG cut-off with the carrier the week before loading, and resubmit filings promptly if the vessel changes.
- Sea corridor
The Danish straits and a possible feeder change
Every box for Szczecin passes the Danish straits, where IMO recommends pilotage on Route T for ships with a draught of 11 m or more and the Danish Maritime Authority reports non-compliant ships to their flag state. If the container is moved to a feeder at a North Sea port, that second vessel must also accept the UN numbers.
What Anxin does: We ask the carrier to name any transhipment port and the feeder operator on the booking and confirm DG acceptance for that leg as well as the mainline.
- Import country
Safety documentation for stationary storage systems
Since 18 August 2024 a stationary battery energy storage system placed on the EU market must be safe in normal operation, and its technical documentation must show testing against the Annex V safety parameters, from thermal shock and short-circuit protection to over-discharge and thermal propagation. Buyers of ESS cabinets in Poland increasingly ask for that file before delivery.
What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for Poland we ask the manufacturer to confirm that the Annex V test documentation exists before booking and note the answer in the shipment file.
- Import country
CE marking and a declaration of conformity in the right language
Since 18 August 2024 a battery sold in the EU needs the CE marking and an EU declaration of conformity from its manufacturer. The declaration has to be available in the language Poland requires, and the importer is the one who must check both before the goods are released for sale.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer in China for the declaration of conformity and a photo of the CE marking on the battery or its packaging before loading, and pass them to the Poland importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.
- Import country
The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Shenzhen
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 Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen cut-off.
Documents & compliance
What to have ready: Shenzhen to Szczecin
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
In Shenzhen, before the box is loaded
- Confirmation from the carrier of the DG cut-off at Yantian or Shekou, rechecked in typhoon weeks
- 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
- Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
For the carrier and the voyage
- Transhipment port, feeder operator and feeder DG acceptance named on the booking
- Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
- Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
At the Poland end
- Haulier in Poland briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- BDO registration number of the Polish importer
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 Shenzhen export filings, the carrier booking and the Poland 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
Risk table for Shenzhen → Szczecin
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typhoon closes terminals or delays the vessel after filings are made | Yantian / Shekou, Jun–Oct | Slack in stuffing date; refile quickly on vessel change | Anxin with the declarant |
| Packaging certificate and MSA filing disagree; shipment flagged | Dongguan → Yantian | Line-by-line comparison before filing | Anxin with the declarant |
| Feeder operator does not accept the UN numbers | North Sea hub | DG acceptance for the feeder leg confirmed | Anxin with the carrier |
| Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required language | Importer in Poland | Declaration and CE photo collected before loading | Manufacturer / importer |
| ENS not filed and the box is refused at loading | Loading port, Shenzhen | EORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at booking | Filer (carrier / forwarder) |
Questions
Common questions on the Shenzhen → Szczecin route
An entry in the BDO register as a business introducing batteries, obtained before placing them on the market. Its BDO number goes on the trading documents.
Often, but it depends on the service. The Baltic is reached through the Danish straits, and we ask the carrier to name any transhipment port and confirm DG acceptance for each vessel.
Since September 2026 Dongguan Customs and Dongguan MSA share dangerous-goods packaging certificate data and act jointly against false declarations, so the packaging certificate and the MSA filing should match exactly.
References
Official sources for this page
- BDO: instrukcja do Modułu elektronicznych wniosków (Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska (BDO))
- Ustawa o bateriach i akumulatorach, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 809 (tekst jednolity) (Dziennik Ustaw (via OpenLEX))
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- 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))
- Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
- Navigation through Danish waters (version 16.0, 2025) (Danish Maritime Authority)
- Forecasting yearly number of tropical cyclones affecting Hong Kong (tropical cyclone season June–October, most active July–September) (Hong Kong Observatory)
- 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 Shenzhen
- 5ImportClearance at Szczecin
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Shenzhen → Szczecin before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
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