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.
Europe · sea freight from Shenzhen
Shipping from Shenzhen to Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
Shenzhen to Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Aegean Sea · Dardanelles · Sea of Marmara
- ShenzhenChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Aegean Sea
- Dardanelles
- Sea of Marmara
- Istanbul (Haydarpasa)Turkey
From Shenzhen to Istanbul (Haydarpasa), cargo moves from Dongguan and Shenzhen factories via Yantian, crosses a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and is discharged at the port of Istanbul (Haydarpasa).
Türkiye checks battery imports through TAREKS before the customs declaration is registered. 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
- CE declaration of conformity
- Özet beyan 24 h before loading
- TAP membership + Çevre Uyum İzni
Route profile
How Shenzhen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) differs from other lanes
Türkiye
A Turkish entry summary 24 hours before loading in China, TAP membership and a TAREKS environmental permit for battery importers, and GEKAP on batteries placed on the market.
Where this route gets difficult
6 points to plan for on the Shenzhen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) route
Listed from loading in Shenzhen to import into Turkey, each with what we do about it.
- 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.
- Origin port
Factory stuffing in Dongguan, loading at Yantian: avoid a second opening
Much Shenzhen battery export is stuffed inland and trucked to the terminal. In May 2026 Yantian MSA and Dongguan MSA ran a cross-regional 'one-box' pilot: four battery containers were inspected jointly at the Dongguan factory and loaded at Yantian without being opened again. It shows that the inspection record made at the factory is what matters 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.
- Sea corridor
Suez itself is working normally
The JMIC's September 2026 update rated the northern Red Sea and Suez Canal MODERATE, with the canal operating in both directions and container lines returning selectively, and the Eastern Mediterranean LOW. The risk on this corridor is concentrated at the southern entrance of the Red Sea rather than at the canal.
What Anxin does: We check before each booking whether the service has changed routing since the last quote.
- Import country
Declaration of conformity and matching originals
Turkish clearance needs CE evidence where EU directives apply, an invoice in triplicate showing HS code and origin, an uncorrected certificate of origin and an original bill of lading with three copies, all describing the same goods.
What Anxin does: We check the declaration of conformity, invoice and certificate of origin against each other before the originals are sent to the importer in Turkey.
- Import country
Risk-based TAREKS check comes first
A battery container landed at Istanbul (Haydarpasa) cannot be declared to customs until the TAREKS import inspection under Communiqué 2017/15 is done; the system selects checks by risk analysis, and the importer answers for compliance.
What Anxin does: We send the importer the manufacturer's declaration of conformity, test reports and product photos before loading, for its TAREKS application.
- Import country
Turkish entry summary 24 hours before loading in Shenzhen
Türkiye applies its own advance filing: for containerised sea cargo the entry summary declaration (özet beyan) must reach the customs office where the goods will be discharged at least 24 hours before the container is loaded at the departure port. The carrier must make sure third-party filers meet the deadline, so incomplete data at Shenzhen can keep the box off the ship.
What Anxin does: We give the carrier or filer the consignee details, HS-level description and DG data at booking, well before the Shenzhen cut-off.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Shenzhen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
These documents come from the shipper, the manufacturer and the importer. Anxin checks them against each other; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
Before loading in Shenzhen
- Confirmation from the carrier of the DG cut-off at Yantian or Shekou, rechecked in typhoon weeks
- Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
- Invoice in triplicate with HS code and origin; certificate of origin without corrections
- Battery type, quantity and weight per invoice line (for GEKAP)
- Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
For the carrier and the voyage
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
- Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
At the Turkey end
- Declaration of conformity and test reports for the TAREKS inspection
- Importer's TAP membership and Çevre Uyum İzni (TAREKS)
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 Turkey 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
Risks on this route and who deals with them
| 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 |
| Entry summary late and the box is not loaded | Loading port, Shenzhen | Filing data passed at booking | Carrier / filer |
| TAREKS inspection delays the customs declaration | Port of discharge | Conformity documents sent before loading | Importer / manufacturer |
Questions
Shenzhen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa): questions we are asked
Yes. Under Communiqué 2017/15 battery imports go through a risk-based TAREKS inspection before the customs declaration is registered.
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.
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
Where these points come from
- Sıkça sorulan sorular: Özet beyan (T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı)
- Türkiye: Import Requirements and Documentation (last published 2026-01-29) (International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce)
- JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
- 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)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Shenzhen
- 5ImportClearance at Istanbul (Haydarpasa)
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Shenzhen → Istanbul (Haydarpasa) before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Shenzhen · Turkey ports
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