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Europe · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Lisbon

Tianjin to Lisbon

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

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Lisbon, Portugal 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 Lisbon. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIASOUTHEAST ASIAAFRICAEUROPEINDIAN OCEAN Taiwan StraitSingapore / MalaccaBab-el-MandebSuez CanalGibraltar TianjinCHINA ORIGIN LisbonPORTUGAL 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. LisbonPortugal
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 Lisbon, 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 Lisbon.

The Portuguese side adds SILiAmb registration to the EU battery rules. This page sets out 5 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.

What we need to start

  • Bohai Bay winter ice
  • Tianjin Xingang export
  • EU declaration of conformity
  • SILiAmb / APA registration
  • Portuguese-language safety information
Ask about this route Portugal ports from Tianjin

Route profile

What sets Tianjin → Lisbon apart

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.

Import country

Portugal

Portugal's SILiAmb register at APA on top of EU duties: CE marking, the 2026 label and 2027 QR code, and ADR for the road leg.

Container gantry cranes at a Tianjin port container terminal
A container ship under way off the Guatemalan coast

Where this route gets difficult

Where Tianjin → Lisbon shipments get held up: 5 points

They run from the Tianjin terminal through the voyage to Lisbon and the Portugal import file.

  1. Origin port

    At Tianjin the port slot is booked before the truck leaves the factory

    Tianjin Customs runs a 'supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival' model for dangerous goods: officers oversee stuffing at the factory, the declaration goes in early through the single window, and the container enters the port in a slot booked on the customs–port platform and goes straight to the ship. Any inspection happens in closed yards inside the Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals. The time saved depends on the stuffing date, the slot and the declared data all matching.

    What Anxin does: We fix the stuffing date against the vessel's DG cut-off first, then book the entry slot, and check that the declaration, the packing certificate and the container number agree before the truck leaves, so the box is not diverted to an inspection yard for a data mismatch.

  2. Sea corridor

    EU emissions trading now covers the whole inbound voyage share

    Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports, Lisbon included, are in the EU Emissions Trading System: 50% of the emissions of a voyage from China are covered, and the share of emissions for which lines must surrender allowances rises from 70% (for 2025 emissions) to 100% from 2027. Carriers can pass that cost on as a surcharge.

    What Anxin does: We ask for the emissions surcharge to be shown as its own line in the quote, with the basis the carrier uses, so that successive quotes can be compared like for like.

  3. Import country

    CE marking and a declaration of conformity in the right language

    The importer in Portugal carries the check: CE marking on the battery and an EU declaration of conformity, translated into the language Portugal asks for, have both been required since 18 August 2024 for batteries entering the EU market.

    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 Portugal importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.

  4. Import country

    Instructions and safety information in the language of Portugal

    Importers must make sure batteries come with instructions and safety information in a language end-users in Portugal easily understand, as that Member State decides. Printed inserts and carton text are far easier to change before the goods are packed in China.

    What Anxin does: We ask the importer which language Portugal requires and check carton and insert photos against it before loading.

  5. Import country

    User-replaceable batteries in appliances from 18 February 2027

    Article 11 of the Battery Regulation says that from 18 February 2027 portable batteries inside appliances must be readily removable and replaceable by the end-user using commercially available tools, without heat or solvents, except under limited derogations. Appliances sold in Portugal after that date need a design that complies.

    What Anxin does: When appliances with built-in batteries are booked for Portugal we point the importer to the February 2027 date so the manufacturer answers the design question before shipment; we do not assess compliance.

Locator map of Lisbon, PortugalLisbon
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (38.70°N, 9.17°W).
Container ship alongside blue gantry cranes at the Juan Carlos I dock, Algeciras

Documents & compliance

Checklist for Tianjin → Lisbon

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 Tianjin

  • Stuffing date, port-entry slot and DG cut-off at Tianjin agreed in that order
  • 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
  • Substance declaration covering mercury, cadmium and lead limits

For the carrier and the voyage

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

For the importer in Portugal

  • Instructions and safety information in the language Portugal requires
  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
  • Haulier in Portugal briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
A cylindrical lithium-ion cell held between two fingers
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 Tianjin filings, the carrier booking and the Portugal 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 Tianjin → Lisbon

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Box sent to the terminal inspection yard because declared data do not matchBeijiang / Dongjiang terminalsDeclaration, packing certificate and container number cross-checked before truckingAnxin
Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailingEU port callSurcharge shown as a separate line with its basisCarrier, checked by Anxin
Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required languageImporter in PortugalDeclaration and CE photo collected before loadingManufacturer / importer

Questions

Common questions on the Tianjin → Lisbon route

24 hours before the container is loaded in China, not before it reaches Lisbon. Without it carriers do not load the box, and a filing without an EORI number is rejected.

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.

Tianjin Customs offers a 'supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival' model: stuffing is supervised at the factory, the box enters the port in a booked slot and is loaded directly. Whether a given shipment can use it depends on the customs arrangement for the exporter and the port slot; we check both when you book.

References

Official sources for this page

  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. Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
  5. Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)

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

Ask about Tianjin → Lisbon

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

All destinations from Tianjin · Portugal ports

A forklift moving palletised cartons in a warehouse

Need Tianjin → Lisbon reviewed?

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

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