Transpacific (North Pacific)
A great-circle route across the North Pacific, exposed to hurricane-force winter storms from October to April.
North America · sea freight from Tianjin
Shipping from Tianjin to Anacortes
Tianjin to Anacortes
Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Yellow Sea · Korea Strait · Sea of Japan · Tsugaru Strait · North Pacific · Strait of Juan de Fuca
- TianjinChina origin
- Bohai Sea
- Bohai Strait
- Yellow Sea
- Korea Strait
- Sea of Japan
- Tsugaru Strait
- North Pacific
- Strait of Juan de Fuca
- AnacortesUnited States
From Tianjin to Anacortes, cargo moves through Tianjin, with its Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals on the Bohai Bay, crosses a North Pacific crossing with no chokepoint but real winter-storm exposure, and is discharged at the port of Anacortes.
US entry is decided as much by paperwork filed in China as by anything at the port. 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
- Bohai Bay winter ice
- Tianjin Xingang export
- HTS code 8507.60
- ISF filer
- Supply-chain tracing file
Route profile
How Tianjin → Anacortes differs from other lanes
United States
From ISF and AMS in China to a monitored emergency number on the US truck leg, with Section 301 and UFLPA shaping what arrives.
Where this route gets difficult
5 pain points from Tianjin to Anacortes
They run from the Tianjin terminal through the voyage to Anacortes and the United States import file.
- 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.
- Sea corridor
Winter storms with hurricane-force winds
NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center found hurricane-force winds (64 knots and above) in North Pacific mid-latitude storms in every month from October to April, peaking in December, with 15 to 23 such storms per season in its 2001–2004 records. They are not typhoons, so they do not follow the tropical calendar.
What Anxin does: For October–April sailings we check blocking and bracing on stuffing photos before sealing and confirm the full DG data are on the manifest.
- Import country
The FMC's 30-day rules on demurrage and detention bills
If a battery container waits at Anacortes, the demurrage or detention invoice has to arrive within 30 days and carry accurate and sufficient information, or the charge is not owed (46 CFR part 541). The billed party then has at least 30 days to dispute it; in 2025 the D.C. Circuit struck down only the rule on who may be invoiced.
What Anxin does: We keep the dates of discharge, availability and any DG hold for each container, so the importer can check invoices against them and dispute charges inside the FMC time limits.
- Import country
Selling in Washington from 2027 means joining a stewardship plan
Washington's battery law (RCW 70A.555) closes the market to producers outside an approved stewardship organization from 1 January 2027, and from July 2027 retailers need the producer's certification before selling portable batteries or products that contain them.
What Anxin does: When cargo through Anacortes is sold in Washington, we flag the 2027 stewardship requirement to the importer at quotation so that retailer certification is in place in time.
- Import country
Day 15 at the terminal: the General Order deadline
US customs rules give an unentered container 15 calendar days at the place of unlading. After that the carrier hands it to a bonded general order warehouse, with transport and storage at the consignee's risk and expense, and for DG cargo that needs specialized storage the port director decides where it is kept (19 CFR 4.37).
What Anxin does: We check with the importer's broker that the entry can be filed before arrival at Anacortes, and chase any missing invoice or HTS detail while the ship is still at sea.
Documents & compliance
What to have ready: Tianjin to Anacortes
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.
In Tianjin, before the box is loaded
- 'Made in China' marking on articles or containers checked on photos
- 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)
- Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
- Transport-condition classification report where applicable
For the shipping line
- Stuffing photos before, during and after packing, checked for blocking and bracing
- SP188 cartons: US 'forbidden aboard passenger aircraft' marking or CAO label
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
For import into United States
- CPSC certificate data and eFiling arrangement, if the product is subject to certification
- 24-hour emergency response number (and provider reference) for the US road leg
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 United States 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Heavy-weather damage in a winter storm | North Pacific, Oct–Apr | CINS stuffing checks | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
Questions
Common questions on the Tianjin → Anacortes route
For lithium-ion batteries classified in HTSUS 8507.60.0020 and entered from 1 January 2026, USTR set the Section 301 additional duty at 25%; EV traction batteries in 8507.60.0010 have been at 25% since 2024. Other duties can apply on top. The importer's customs broker confirms the classification and total duty; we make sure the invoice gives the broker enough detail to do so.
Weather is the main risk on this crossing: NOAA recorded hurricane-force North Pacific storms from October to April, most often in December. We tighten the packing checks for those sailings.
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
Regulations and port sources cited
- 19 CFR 134.11: Country of origin marking required (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
- Section 301 Modifications Determination (Federal Register notice, Sept 2024) (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative)
- 49 CFR 171.25 – Additional requirements for the use of the IMDG Code (eCFR / PHMSA)
- 49 CFR 172.604: Emergency response telephone number (eCFR / PHMSA)
- Update: Certificates of Compliance and eFiling (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
- Hurricane force extratropical cyclones observed using QuikSCAT (Mariners Weather Log 49-1) (NOAA Ocean Prediction Center)
- Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
- 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 Anacortes
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Anacortes before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Tianjin · United States ports
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