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.
Europe · sea freight from Tianjin
Shipping from Tianjin to Stockholm
Tianjin to Stockholm
Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Malacca Strait · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel · Danish Straits
- TianjinChina origin
- Bohai Sea
- Bohai Strait
- Malacca Strait
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Strait of Gibraltar
- English Channel
- Danish Straits
- StockholmSweden
This route runs through Tianjin, with its Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals on the Bohai Bay, then follows a long Europe voyage extended through the Danish straits into the Baltic; at the far end is the port of Stockholm.
Sweden has required producer registration with Naturvårdsverket since January 2026. 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
- Factory-supervised loading
- Bohai Bay winter ice
- Consignee EORI
- EU declaration of conformity
- Naturvårdsverket registration
Route profile
What sets Tianjin → Stockholm apart
Sweden
Registration with Naturvårdsverket since January 2026 under Ordinance 2025:813, and the EU-wide battery and ICS2 duties.
Where this route gets difficult
5 pain points from Tianjin to Stockholm
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Stockholm and the Sweden market.
- Origin port
Winter ice at the Haihe mouth
Sea ice forms every winter in the Bohai Sea, and the Haihe estuary at Tianjin is among the severe areas. In winter 2021/22 China's national marine forecast centre expected the peak ice period from mid-January to mid-February, with floating ice reaching about 5 nautical miles out in Bohai Bay. Ice and cold spells slow port operations around the Chinese New Year shipping peak.
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.
- Sea corridor
The Danish straits and a possible feeder change
Every box for Stockholm 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
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 Sweden 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 Sweden 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 Tianjin
For Stockholm, EU security pre-filing happens at the other end of the voyage: the ICS2 entry summary must reach the system 24 hours before the container is loaded in Tianjin. No filing means no loading, and a missing EORI number is enough to reject it.
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 Tianjin cut-off.
- Import country
Supply-chain due diligence moved to August 2027
The Battery Regulation's due diligence obligations on cobalt, lithium, nickel and natural graphite were postponed by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 and now apply from 18 August 2027, with Commission guidelines due by 26 July 2026. Buyers in Sweden are already asking suppliers for the supply-chain data they will need.
What Anxin does: We pass the Sweden buyer's due diligence questions to the manufacturer and keep their answers with the shipment file; the policy itself remains the producer's responsibility.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Tianjin → Stockholm
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
In Tianjin, before the box is loaded
- Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
- Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
- 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
For the carrier and the voyage
- Transhipment port, feeder operator and feeder DG acceptance named on the booking
- Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
- Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
For import into Sweden
- Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
- Instructions and safety information in the language Sweden requires
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 Sweden 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 Tianjin → Stockholm
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice or cold spell slows berthing in mid-winter | Bohai Bay, Jan–Feb | Slack between stuffing and cut-off; berthing window reconfirmed | Carrier, monitored by Anxin |
| 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 Sweden | Declaration and CE photo collected before loading | Manufacturer / importer |
| ENS not filed and the box is refused at loading | Loading port, Tianjin | EORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at booking | Filer (carrier / forwarder) |
Questions
Common questions on the Tianjin → Stockholm route
The CE marking on the battery and the manufacturer's EU declaration of conformity, which must be available in the language Sweden requires. Both have applied since 18 August 2024.
Yes, but in the restriction period only ships of the required ice class and deadweight receive icebreaker assistance. Finland's agency publishes the restrictions on baltice.org, with exemption requests due at least three working days before arrival.
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
Official sources for this page
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 as regards due diligence obligations (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))
- Navigation through Danish waters (version 16.0, 2025) (Danish Maritime Authority)
- Finland's winter navigation 2025–2026 (Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency)
- Tianjin MSA opens a green channel for new-energy-vehicle shipments (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administration)
- Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))
- 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 Tianjin
- 5ImportClearance at Stockholm
Prefer chat? Chat on WhatsApp (+86 151 4514 5178)
After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Stockholm before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Tianjin · Sweden ports
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