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.
South & Southeast Asia · sea freight from Shenzhen
Shipping from Shenzhen to Colombo
Shenzhen to Colombo
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Andaman Sea · Indian Ocean
- ShenzhenChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Andaman Sea
- Indian Ocean
- ColomboSri Lanka
This route runs from Dongguan and Shenzhen factories via Yantian, where the one-box route had moved 409 battery containers by September 2026, then follows a corridor across the Indian Ocean; at the far end is the port of Colombo.
On the Sri Lankan side the manifest is filed in ASYHUB and the CusDec is digitally signed. 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
- Typhoon season Jun–Oct
- Yantian / Shekou export
- ASYHUB manifest
- Paperless CusDec
- SLSI scope
Route profile
What sets Shenzhen → Colombo apart
Asia – Indian Ocean
An Indian Ocean route: rough south-west monsoon seas from June to September and cyclone windows in April-May and October-December.
Where this route gets difficult
What to watch between Shenzhen and Colombo: 5 points
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Colombo and the Sri Lanka market.
- Origin port
Inspected in Dongguan, loaded unopened at Yantian
A large share of Shenzhen's battery exports is stuffed inland and trucked to the quay. In a May 2026 cross-regional 'one-box' pilot, Yantian MSA and Dongguan MSA jointly inspected four battery containers at a Dongguan factory and loaded them at Yantian without reopening them, which shows that the factory inspection record is what counts at the terminal.
What Anxin does: We ask at booking whether your factory and the terminal's MSA office can use the one-box arrangement, and we have stuffing photos, the packing certificate and the DG declaration match exactly, so the container is not held for re-inspection.
- Origin port
Cut-offs in Shenzhen's typhoon weeks
June to October is the regional tropical cyclone season according to the Hong Kong Observatory, peaking July to September. Because DG boxes need approved MSA filings and a signed packing certificate before loading, a gate closure or rolled vessel in those weeks can move the entire document chain to another 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
Southwest monsoon from June to September
India's southwest monsoon runs from June to September, with rough seas across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Rough seas are hard on poorly braced loads.
What Anxin does: In monsoon months we check blocking and bracing strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.
- Import country
Paper declarations end on 1 October 2026
From 1 October 2026 Sri Lankan customs declarations are digitally signed and filed electronically, and manual submission at the Long Room ends. Importers at Colombo and their brokers need digital signatures in place for the first shipments after the change.
What Anxin does: We check with the importer's broker that its digital signature set-up is working before the container arrives at Colombo.
- Import country
Manifests go through ASYHUB
Since 7 May 2025 Sri Lanka Customs has required manifests to be submitted through ASYHUB. The battery description and DG details the carrier files for Colombo come from the booking made in Shenzhen, so they have to be right from the start.
What Anxin does: We give the carrier final cargo and DG data at booking, so the ASYHUB manifest does not need amending after arrival.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Shenzhen → Colombo
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
- Transport-condition classification report where applicable
- Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
- 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)
Carrier and voyage
- Carrier's revised arrival reconfirmed in the cyclone season before booking onward transport
- Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
- Relay port and feeder DG acceptance confirmed for Indian destinations
For import into Sri Lanka
- Broker's digital signature ready for electronic CusDecs
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 Shenzhen filings, the carrier booking and the Sri Lanka 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 Shenzhen → Colombo
| 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 |
| Container reopened at the terminal because records do not match | Factory → Yantian | Photos, packing certificate and DG declaration cross-checked before trucking | Anxin |
| Clearance delayed after the switch to paperless declarations | Colombo / Hambantota | Broker's set-up checked before arrival | Importer's broker |
Questions
Common questions on the Shenzhen → Colombo route
Through ASYHUB, which Sri Lanka Customs has required since 7 May 2025.
The India Meteorological Department describes two North Indian Ocean seasons, April–May and October–December, the latter being the main one.
Yes, provided a certified packing inspector supervises the stuffing and signs the container packing certificate. Since May 2026 Yantian and Dongguan MSA have also piloted joint factory inspection so the container can be loaded at Yantian without reopening; we check whether your shipment can use it.
References
Regulations and port sources cited
- Mandatory submission of manifests via ASYHUB system, effective 7 May 2025 (Sri Lanka Customs)
- Frequently asked questions on tropical cyclones (India Meteorological Department, RSMC New Delhi)
- The Indian Monsoon (southwest monsoon June–September) (Press Information Bureau, Government of India)
- Port of Colombo records historic high of 8.29 million TEUs in 2025 (Sri Lanka Ports Authority)
- Yantian MSA runs 'one-box' model for lithium battery sea exports (Chinese), 8 May 2026 (Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission (source: Shenzhen MSA))
- 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 Colombo
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Shenzhen → Colombo before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Shenzhen · Sri Lanka ports
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