Lithium battery freight focus Air · Sea · Land assessment Document-first planning
Shipment Status & Support

North America · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Bath

Tianjin to Bath

Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Korea Strait · Eastern Pacific · Panama Canal · Caribbean Sea · Windward Passage · US East Coast

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Bath, United States Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Korea Strait, Eastern Pacific, Panama Canal, Caribbean Sea, Windward Passage, US East Coast to Bath. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINASOUTHEAST ASIANORTH AMERICASOUTH AMERICAPACIFIC OCEAN Tsugaru StraitNorth PacificPanama Canal TianjinCHINA ORIGIN BathUNITED STATES TianjinBOHAI SEAYELLOW SEASHANDONGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. TianjinChina origin
  2. Bohai Sea
  3. Bohai Strait
  4. Korea Strait
  5. Eastern Pacific
  6. Panama Canal
  7. Caribbean Sea
  8. Windward Passage
  9. US East Coast
  10. BathUnited States
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 Bath, cargo moves from North China through Tianjin Xingang, crosses a Pacific crossing and a Panama Canal transit, and is discharged at the port of Bath.

The United States applies Section 301 and UFLPA scrutiny to Chinese lithium batteries and wants its manifest data before loading. 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

  • Tianjin Xingang export
  • Factory-supervised loading
  • Supply-chain tracing file
  • HTS code 8507.60
  • ISF filer
Ask about this route United States ports from Tianjin

Route profile

What sets Tianjin → Bath 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.

Import country

United States

A duty line set by the exact 8507.60 code, lithium supply-chain questions under UFLPA, and ISF and AMS filings that are due before the box is loaded.

Container gantry cranes at a Tianjin port container terminal
A cargo ship at anchor in calm water under a clear sky

Where this route gets difficult

Where Tianjin → Bath shipments get held up: 6 points

In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Bath and at customs in United States.

  1. Origin port

    Document review time at Tianjin and the cut-off

    In July 2026 Tianjin MSA acknowledged that long document reviews under its traditional model often caused firms to miss the vessel's document cut-off, leaving cargo in port for another ship. The new appointment-based green channel, more than 50% faster with a fixed document list, is for new-energy-vehicle cargo; battery shipments should not count on it.

    What Anxin does: We submit the cargo report with the full document set (safe-carriage declaration, SDS, packing certificate, packaging certificate) days before the cut-off rather than on the day, and treat any MSA query as same-day work.

  2. Origin port

    Tianjin's supervised factory loading and port slots

    Under Tianjin Customs' 'supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival' model, officers supervise stuffing at the factory, the declaration is lodged early through the single window, and the box enters the port in a slot booked on the customs–port platform before going straight to the ship; inspections take place in closed yards at the Beijiang and Dongjiang terminals. The gain holds only if stuffing date, slot and declared data agree.

    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.

  3. Sea corridor

    Hurricane season on the Caribbean side

    The Atlantic hurricane season, covering the Caribbean and the Gulf of America, runs from 1 June to 30 November, peaking around 10 September, with an average of 14 named storms. Ports on the way to Bath close ahead of storms, and ships wait or divert.

    What Anxin does: For August–October arrivals we build slack into delivery plans and pass the carrier's revised arrival straight to your consignee.

  4. Import country

    Which 8507.60 line decides the Section 301 duty

    For lithium-ion batteries entered from 1 January 2026 USTR set the Section 301 additional duty on HTSUS 8507.60.0020 (the non-EV line) at 25%, the level EV batteries under 8507.60.0010 reached in 2024. Other China-specific duties can be added and change at short notice, so the classification and the entry date both move the landed cost at Bath.

    What Anxin does: We do not give duty rulings. We make sure the invoice describes chemistry, configuration and application precisely enough for the importer's customs broker to classify it, and we flag the entry date when a vessel's arrival could straddle a duty change.

  5. Import country

    The carrier's AMS manifest is due 24 hours before loading

    Besides the importer's ISF, CBP must receive the carrier's electronic cargo declaration through AMS 24 hours before the container is laden in Tianjin (19 CFR 4.7). CBP does not issue the permit to unlade at Bath until it has that declaration, and late, incomplete or inaccurate cargo data can delay or deny it.

    What Anxin does: We give the carrier or NVOCC the final cargo description, HS code, UN number and package count before the documentation cut-off in Tianjin, so the AMS filing and the DG manifest say the same thing.

  6. Import country

    ISF closes 24 hours before loading in Tianjin

    The Importer Security Filing must reach CBP no later than 24 hours before the container is laden aboard the vessel abroad. CBP's liquidated damages guidelines provide for a claim per violation for late, inaccurate or incomplete filings. Two of the data elements, the container stuffing location and the consolidator, only exist once the box is packed.

    What Anxin does: We send the importer's ISF filer the stuffing location, consolidator and manufacturer details as soon as the container is packed in Tianjin, ahead of the vessel's loading window.

Locator map of Bath, United StatesBath
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (43.92°N, 69.82°W).
Containers on rail wagons next to a terminal in Vancouver

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Tianjin to Bath

Test reports, safety data sheets and import certificates come from the shipper, factory and importer, not from Anxin; our part is to review them before booking.

Before loading in Tianjin

  • Stuffing date, port-entry slot and DG cut-off at Tianjin agreed in that order
  • 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

  • Canal routing and any canal-related surcharge confirmed for the booked vessel
  • Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
  • SP188 cartons: US 'forbidden aboard passenger aircraft' marking or CAO label

At the United States end

  • ISF filer named; stuffing location and consolidator sent right after packing
  • Importer of record and the licensed customs broker who will file the entry
  • Supply-chain tracing file for cells and lithium inputs, in case of a UFLPA request
An electric bicycle with its battery mounted on the frame
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 United States 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 → Bath

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Document review runs past the vessel cut-off; cargo re-allocated to a later shipTianjin MSA reviewComplete document set filed days before cut-offAnxin with the declarant
Box sent to the terminal inspection yard because declared data do not matchBeijiang / Dongjiang terminalsDeclaration, packing certificate and container number cross-checked before truckingAnxin
Hurricane closes ports or diverts the vesselCaribbean / Gulf, Jun–NovSlack in delivery planCarrier / consignee
Late or inaccurate ISFBefore loading abroadStuffing and consolidator data sent to the ISF filer immediately after packingAnxin with the ISF filer
Permit to unlade delayed for a late or inaccurate AMS manifestPort of dischargeFinal cargo data given to the carrier before the cut-offCarrier / NVOCC, with data from Anxin

Questions

Tianjin → Bath: questions we are asked

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.

1 June to 30 November, peaking around 10 September, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

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

Where these points come from

  1. 19 CFR 149.2 – Importer security filing: requirement and time of transmission (eCFR / CBP)
  2. 19 CFR 4.7: inward foreign manifest; advance filing of cargo declaration (24 hours before lading) (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
  3. Section 301 Modifications Determination (Federal Register notice, Sept 2024) (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative)
  4. 49 CFR 171.25 – Additional requirements for the use of the IMDG Code (eCFR / PHMSA)
  5. DHS designates steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda and red dates as UFLPA high-priority sectors (19 Aug 2025) (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
  6. Advisory to Shipping A-33-2026: Postponement of maximum authorized draft adjustment in the Neopanamax locks (Panama Canal Authority)
  7. Tropical Cyclone Climatology (NOAA National Hurricane Center)
  8. Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
  9. Tianjin MSA opens a green channel for new-energy-vehicle shipments (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administration)
  10. Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))

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

Ask about Tianjin → Bath

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

All destinations from Tianjin · United States ports

Trailers backed up to the loading docks of a warehouse

Need Tianjin → Bath reviewed?

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

Request a Quote
Request a Quote WhatsApp