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North America · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Everett

Tianjin to Everett

Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Yellow Sea · Korea Strait · Sea of Japan · Tsugaru Strait · North Pacific · Strait of Juan de Fuca

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Everett, United States Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Yellow Sea, Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, Tsugaru Strait, North Pacific, Strait of Juan de Fuca to Everett. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINA Korea StraitTsugaru StraitNorth Pacific TianjinCHINA ORIGIN EverettUNITED STATES TianjinBOHAI SEAYELLOW SEASHANDONGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. TianjinChina origin
  2. Bohai Sea
  3. Bohai Strait
  4. Yellow Sea
  5. Korea Strait
  6. Sea of Japan
  7. Tsugaru Strait
  8. North Pacific
  9. Strait of Juan de Fuca
  10. EverettUnited 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 Everett, cargo moves from North China through Tianjin Xingang, crosses a great-circle crossing of the North Pacific, and is discharged at the port of Everett.

US entry is decided as much by paperwork filed in China as by anything at the port. The 6 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
  • HTS code 8507.60
  • ISF filer
  • Supply-chain tracing file
Ask about this route United States ports from Tianjin

Route profile

The Tianjin → Everett route in brief

Sea corridor

Transpacific (North Pacific)

A great-circle route across the North Pacific, exposed to hurricane-force winter storms from October to April.

Import country

United States

Section 301 duty on Chinese lithium-ion batteries at 25% since January 2026, UFLPA scrutiny of lithium supply chains, ISF 24 hours before loading, and a US-only marking rule for SP188 packages.

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

What to watch between Tianjin and Everett: 6 points

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

  1. Origin port

    Packaging appraisal is still the first step at Tianjin

    Export dangerous-goods packaging must pass use appraisal in China before the goods can leave. Tianjin port's 2025 measures shortened appraisal time for lithium battery exports through quick release, and Tianjin Port Group handles lithium DG containers, but without the appraisal certificate the rest of the filing cannot proceed.

    What Anxin does: We check at quotation that the packaging maker has its performance appraisal and apply for the use appraisal as soon as the packing is fixed, so the certificate is in hand before the MSA filing.

  2. 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.

  3. Sea corridor

    No chokepoint, but North Pacific storms

    The drawn corridor from Tianjin crosses the North Pacific, with no canal and no Red Sea exposure. Weather is the risk instead. In November 2020 the ONE Apus, sailing from Yantian to Long Beach, suffered a stack collapse in a storm about 1,600 nautical miles north-west of Hawaii; its owners reported that more than 1,900 containers could be lost or damaged, including up to 40 hazmat boxes.

    What Anxin does: For winter sailings especially, we review blocking and bracing on stuffing photos against the CINS points before sealing, and make sure the DG declaration is complete, so a damaged box can be identified and handled correctly.

  4. Import country

    Section 301 at 25% on lithium-ion non-EV batteries from January 2026

    USTR's 2024 review moved lithium-ion batteries of HTSUS 8507.60.0020 (the 'other', non-passenger-EV line) from a 7.5% to a 25% additional duty for entries from 1 January 2026; EV traction batteries under 8507.60.0010 reached 25% in 2024. Other China-specific duties can stack on top and change with little notice, so the landed cost depends on the exact classification and entry date.

    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 Everett 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

    CPSC certificate data now filed at entry

    Since 8 July 2026, importers of consumer products that are subject to a CPSC certification requirement must electronically file the certificate data at entry; goods entered from a Foreign Trade Zone follow on 8 January 2027. Whether a battery-powered product is caught depends on the rules that apply to that product, not on the battery alone.

    What Anxin does: We ask whether the goods are consumer products that need a CPSC certificate and, if so, who files it, so that the question is settled before the goods arrive.

Locator map of Everett, United StatesEverett
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (48.00°N, 122.22°W).
Container ship being unloaded under red gantry cranes in Vancouver

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Tianjin to Everett

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.

At the Tianjin end

  • Packaging use-appraisal certificate issued before the MSA cargo report is filed
  • Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
  • '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)

For the shipping line

  • Stuffing photos before, during and after packing, checked for blocking and bracing
  • 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)

At the United States end

  • HTSUS classification from the broker (8507.60.0010 vs .0020 decides the Section 301 line)
  • ISF filer named; stuffing location and consolidator sent right after packing
  • Supply-chain tracing file for cells and lithium inputs, in case of a UFLPA request
A portable power bank connected to a smartphone
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

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
Stack collapse or cargo shift in a North Pacific stormMid-PacificBlocking and bracing checked before sealing; complete DG data for incident responsePacking site / carrier, checked by Anxin
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

Common questions on the Tianjin → Everett route

Yes. Under 49 CFR 171.25(b)(3), SP188 packages of UN3480 or UN3090 need the 'FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT' marking or a Cargo Aircraft Only label, and so do packages of batteries packed with or contained in equipment above 5 kg net. We check for it on carton photos before stuffing.

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.

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

Where these points come from

  1. 19 CFR 134.11: Country of origin marking required (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
  2. 19 CFR 149.2 – Importer security filing: requirement and time of transmission (eCFR / CBP)
  3. 19 CFR 4.7: inward foreign manifest; advance filing of cargo declaration (24 hours before lading) (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
  4. Section 301 Modifications Determination (Federal Register notice, Sept 2024) (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative)
  5. 49 CFR 171.25 – Additional requirements for the use of the IMDG Code (eCFR / PHMSA)
  6. Update: Certificates of Compliance and eFiling (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
  7. DHS designates steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda and red dates as UFLPA high-priority sectors (19 Aug 2025) (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
  8. Hurricane force extratropical cyclones observed using QuikSCAT (Mariners Weather Log 49-1) (NOAA Ocean Prediction Center)
  9. Container ship ONE Apus; North Pacific Ocean (incident record) (NOAA IncidentNews)
  10. Tianjin MSA opens a green channel for new-energy-vehicle shipments (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administration)
  11. Tianjin port 2025 cross-border trade facilitation measures (Tianjin Municipal Government (tjjz.gov.cn))
  12. Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))
  13. 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 Everett
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Tianjin → Everett

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

All destinations from Tianjin · United States ports

A forklift moving palletised cartons in a warehouse

Need Tianjin → Everett reviewed?

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

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