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Europe · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Bayonne

Tianjin to Bayonne

Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Taiwan Strait · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Bayonne, France Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar to Bayonne. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIAAFRICAEUROPEINDIAN OCEAN Taiwan StraitSingapore / MalaccaBab-el-MandebSuez CanalGibraltar TianjinCHINA ORIGIN BayonneFRANCE TianjinBOHAI SEAYELLOW SEASHANDONGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. TianjinChina origin
  2. Bohai Sea
  3. Bohai Strait
  4. Taiwan Strait
  5. Malacca Strait
  6. Indian Ocean
  7. Bab-el-Mandeb
  8. Suez Canal
  9. Strait of Gibraltar
  10. BayonneFrance
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 Tianjin to Bayonne, cargo moves from North China through Tianjin Xingang, crosses a lane whose routing, Suez or Cape of Good Hope, is decided service by service, and is discharged at the port of Bayonne.

The French side checks the producer's unique identifier (IDU) as well as the EU battery rules. 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

  • Tianjin Xingang export
  • Factory-supervised loading
  • EU declaration of conformity
  • IDU (batteries stream)
  • French-language safety information
Ask about this route France ports from Tianjin

Route profile

What sets Tianjin → Bayonne apart

Origin port

Tianjin (Xingang)

North China's main container gateway, where Tianjin Customs lets DG containers be inspected at the factory and loaded on arrival within a booked port slot, and where the Bohai Bay freezes at its edges in mid-winter.

Sea corridor

Asia – North & Atlantic Europe

The map shows the Suez corridor, but in September 2026 most Asia–North Europe capacity still sails round the Cape of Good Hope.

Container gantry cranes at a Tianjin port container terminal
A loaded container ship on the horizon

Where this route gets difficult

5 pain points from Tianjin to Bayonne

Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Bayonne and the France market.

  1. Origin port

    Ice at the Haihe estuary in winter

    Every winter the Bohai Sea ices over, and the Haihe estuary at Tianjin is one of the harder-hit areas. For 2021/22 the national marine forecast centre put the peak ice period between mid-January and mid-February, with floating ice about 5 nautical miles out in Bohai Bay. Ice and cold slow port work just as the Chinese New Year peak arrives.

    What Anxin does: For January and February sailings from Tianjin we add slack between stuffing and the DG cut-off and confirm the vessel's berthing window with the carrier the week before loading.

  2. Sea corridor

    Cape waters saw about a third of 2024's container losses

    Round-Africa routing puts battery containers through South African waters. Of the 576 containers the World Shipping Council recorded as lost at sea in 2024, the South African Maritime Safety Authority estimates about 200, roughly 35%, went overboard near the Cape. In August 2024 alone, SAMSA reported 99 boxes lost from the CMA CGM Belem off Richards Bay and 46 from the MSC Antonio off Port St Johns in wintry weather.

    What Anxin does: When the booking goes via the Cape, we apply the CINS stuffing checks (gaps, blocking, wall clearance) more strictly and ask for photos at every stage of packing.

  3. Import country

    Substance limits for portable batteries

    For portable batteries, Annex I sets maximum levels of 0.0005 % mercury, 0.002 % cadmium and 0.01 % lead by weight, the lead limit applying since 18 August 2024. The importer in France may be asked by market surveillance to demonstrate compliance.

    What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the France importer; we do not test batteries.

  4. 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 France 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.

  5. 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 France increasingly ask for that file before delivery.

    What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for France we ask the manufacturer to confirm that the Annex V test documentation exists before booking and note the answer in the shipment file.

Locator map of Bayonne, FranceBayonne
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (43.50°N, 1.47°W).
Container gantry cranes at the Burchardkai terminal in Hamburg

Documents & compliance

Documents to line up for Tianjin → Bayonne

Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.

At the Tianjin end

  • 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)
  • EU declaration of conformity and CE marking photo from the manufacturer
  • Importer name, trade name and postal address printed on battery or packaging
  • Annex V safety documentation confirmed for stationary storage systems

For the carrier and the voyage

  • Routing (Suez or Cape of Good Hope) and any transhipment port stated on the booking confirmation
  • 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 France end

  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
  • Instructions and safety information in the language France requires
  • Haulier in France briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
A cordless drill with its battery pack attached
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 Tianjin export filings, the carrier booking and the France 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

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Ice or cold spell slows berthing in mid-winterBohai Bay, Jan–FebSlack between stuffing and cut-off; berthing window reconfirmedCarrier, monitored by Anxin
Heavy weather off South AfricaCape of Good HopeCINS stuffing and blocking checks before sealingPacking site, checked by Anxin
Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026Importer in FranceLabel status confirmed before bookingManufacturer / importer
Storage system delivered without Annex V test fileBuyer in FranceTest documentation confirmed before bookingManufacturer

Questions

Questions about shipping from Tianjin to Bayonne

The CE marking on the battery and the manufacturer's EU declaration of conformity, which must be available in the language France requires. Both have applied since 18 August 2024.

It depends on the service. In September 2026 most Asia–North Europe capacity still sailed round the Cape of Good Hope; Sea-Intelligence put the Red Sea share for North Europe vessels at 27%. We ask the carrier to confirm the routing on the booking and quote each routing separately.

The green channel Tianjin MSA announced in July 2026 is for new-energy-vehicle cargo. For battery containers we plan on the normal review and file early, because Tianjin MSA has said long reviews under the traditional model often cost firms their vessel cut-off.

References

Regulations and port sources cited

  1. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  2. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  3. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  4. Search on for containers lost overboard off South Africa's Indian Ocean coast (South African Maritime Safety Authority)
  5. Tianjin MSA opens a green channel for new-energy-vehicle shipments (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administration)
  6. Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))

Next step

From enquiry to import

  1. 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
  2. 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
  3. 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
  4. 4HandoverAt Tianjin
  5. 5ImportClearance at Bayonne
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Tianjin → Bayonne

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

All destinations from Tianjin · France ports

A forklift loading goods into an open shipping container

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