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.
North America · sea freight from Tianjin
Shipping from Tianjin to Houston
Tianjin to Houston
Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Korea Strait · Eastern Pacific · Panama Canal · Caribbean Sea · Yucatán Channel · Gulf of Mexico
- TianjinChina origin
- Bohai Sea
- Bohai Strait
- Korea Strait
- Eastern Pacific
- Panama Canal
- Caribbean Sea
- Yucatán Channel
- Gulf of Mexico
- HoustonUnited States
This route runs from North China through Tianjin Xingang, then follows a Pacific crossing and a Panama Canal transit; at the far end is the port of Houston.
The US side adds a 25% Section 301 duty line, forced-labour scrutiny of lithium supply chains and an ISF deadline that falls 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
- ISF filer
- Supply-chain tracing file
- HTS code 8507.60
Route profile
How Tianjin → Houston differs from other lanes
Asia – Americas via the Panama Canal
Gatun Lake levels set how much a ship can load through Panama; the Caribbean leg then crosses hurricane waters from June to November.
Where this route gets difficult
What to watch between Tianjin and Houston: 6 points
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Houston and the United States market.
- 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.
- 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
The Caribbean leg runs through hurricane country
After the canal, ships to Houston cross the Caribbean, where the Atlantic hurricane season lasts from 1 June to 30 November and peaks around 10 September; an average year brings 14 named storms and 7 hurricanes. Ports close ahead of a storm and vessels 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.
- Import country
CPSC eFiling for certified consumer products
Consumer products that need a CPSC certificate have had their certificate data filed electronically at entry since 8 July 2026 (goods from a Foreign Trade Zone from 8 January 2027). A battery-powered product falls under it through the product's own rules, which the importer should settle before the goods reach Houston.
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.
- Import country
Port Houston will not take DG papers at the gate
Bayport and Barbours Cut use a paperless hazardous pre-advise system. The shipping line submits the DG documents, the trucker's ExpressPass carries a Haz_No_Ingate hold until the hazardous team approves the unit, and papers handed over at the gate are refused.
What Anxin does: We make sure the carrier has the final DG documents for Houston well before arrival and tell the trucker to check that the hold is released in Lynx before sending a driver.
- Import country
'China' has to be marked on each article or its container
19 CFR 134.11 requires every imported article, or its container, to carry the English name of the country of origin in a conspicuous place, as legibly, indelibly and permanently as the article allows, at the time it is imported. Batteries and battery products reaching Houston without it can be held until they are marked.
What Anxin does: We check product and carton photos for a durable 'Made in China' marking before stuffing in Tianjin, rather than leaving it for re-marking in a US warehouse.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Tianjin → Houston
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
At the Tianjin end
- Stuffing date, port-entry slot and DG cut-off at Tianjin agreed in that order
- 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)
- '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
For the carrier and the voyage
- Canal routing and any canal-related surcharge confirmed for the booked vessel
- 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 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
- Importer of record and the licensed customs broker who will file the entry
Before you book
Match the details first
We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Tianjin filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for United States before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Houston.
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 → Houston
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box sent to the terminal inspection yard because declared data do not match | Beijiang / Dongjiang terminals | Declaration, packing certificate and container number cross-checked before trucking | Anxin |
| 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 |
| Hurricane closes ports or diverts the vessel | Caribbean / Gulf, Jun–Nov | Slack in delivery plan | Carrier / consignee |
Questions
Tianjin → Houston: questions we are asked
No. The carrier must also send its cargo declaration through AMS 24 hours before loading, and CBP will not issue the permit to unlade without it.
It can. In September 2026 the Panama Canal Authority postponed a planned draft cut in the Neopanamax locks because of Gatun Lake levels (advisory A-33-2026). We check the advisory in force when quoting.
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
- 19 CFR 134.11: Country of origin marking required (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
- 19 CFR 4.7: inward foreign manifest; advance filing of cargo declaration (24 hours before lading) (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
- 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)
- Advisory to Shipping A-33-2026: Postponement of maximum authorized draft adjustment in the Neopanamax locks (Panama Canal Authority)
- Tropical Cyclone Climatology (NOAA National Hurricane 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))
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Tianjin
- 5ImportClearance at Houston
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Houston before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Tianjin · United States ports
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