Transpacific (North Pacific)
A North Pacific crossing with no canal or chokepoint risk, but with a record of winter storms strong enough to collapse container stacks.
North America · sea freight from Tianjin
Shipping from Tianjin to Ketchikan
Tianjin to Ketchikan
Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Yellow Sea · Korea Strait · Sea of Japan · Tsugaru Strait · Gulf of Alaska
- TianjinChina origin
- Bohai Sea
- Bohai Strait
- Yellow Sea
- Korea Strait
- Sea of Japan
- Tsugaru Strait
- Gulf of Alaska
- KetchikanUnited States
This route runs from North China through Tianjin Xingang, then follows a North Pacific corridor with no canal or chokepoint; at the far end is the port of Ketchikan.
The United States applies Section 301 and UFLPA scrutiny to Chinese lithium batteries and wants its manifest data before loading. Below are 5 route-specific points to plan for, what we do about each, and the documents to have ready before booking.
What we need to start
- Tianjin Xingang export
- Factory-supervised loading
- HTS code 8507.60
- ISF filer
- Supply-chain tracing file
Route profile
How Tianjin → Ketchikan differs from other lanes
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.
Where this route gets difficult
What to watch between Tianjin and Ketchikan: 5 points
Listed from loading in Tianjin to import into United States, each with what we do about it.
- 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.
- Sea corridor
An open-ocean crossing where weather is the main risk
From Tianjin the drawn corridor to Ketchikan runs across the North Pacific without a canal or Red Sea passage, so weather replaces chokepoints as the risk. The ONE Apus, bound from Yantian to Long Beach in November 2020, had a stack collapse in a storm about 1,600 nautical miles north-west of Hawaii; her owners said more than 1,900 containers could be lost or damaged, up to 40 of them hazmat.
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.
- Import country
SP188 packages need an extra US marking
Small cells and batteries shipped under IMDG special provision 188 do not need a dangerous goods declaration at sea, but 49 CFR 171.25(b)(3) adds a US condition: each package of UN3480 or UN3090 must carry the 'FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT' marking or a Cargo Aircraft Only label, and so must packages of batteries with or in equipment above 5 kg net. Cartons printed for other markets often lack it.
What Anxin does: When the shipper declares SP188 for a Ketchikan booking, we check the carton photos for the US marking or CAO label before stuffing, not after discharge.
- Import country
The emergency response number has to be answered live
US rules want a numeric emergency response telephone number on the shipping paper for battery cargo that leaves Ketchikan by road, monitored for as long as the goods are in transport and answered by a person with the emergency information for UN3480 or UN3090. A call-back service fails the test (49 CFR 172.604); only the IMDG waiver for cargo that never touches a public highway avoids it.
What Anxin does: Before sailing we confirm who provides the 24-hour number for the US leg, usually the importer's emergency response provider, and put it with the contract reference on the DG documents we send to the trucker.
- Import country
Demurrage and detention invoices must follow FMC rules
Battery containers held for DG checks or paperwork can run up demurrage and detention at Ketchikan. Under the FMC's billing rule, in force since May 2024, carriers and terminals must invoice within 30 days with accurate, complete information, or the charge is not payable, and the billed party has at least 30 days to ask for a waiver or refund. A 2025 court ruling set aside only the section on who may be billed.
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.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Tianjin → Ketchikan
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
Before loading in Tianjin
- 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
- 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
At the United States end
- 24-hour emergency response number (and provider reference) for the US road leg
- CPSC certificate data and eFiling arrangement, if the product is subject to certification
- Importer of record and the licensed customs broker who will file the entry
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
Risks on this route and who deals with them
| 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 |
| Stack collapse or cargo shift in a North Pacific storm | Mid-Pacific | Blocking and bracing checked before sealing; complete DG data for incident response | Packing site / carrier, checked by Anxin |
| SP188 cartons without the US marking | Discharge and onward trucking | Marking or CAO label checked on carton photos before stuffing | Shipper, checked by Anxin |
| Truck stopped without a monitored emergency number | Road leg from the port | Emergency response provider confirmed before sailing | Importer, checked by Anxin |
Questions
Common questions on the Tianjin → Ketchikan 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)
- Container ship ONE Apus; North Pacific Ocean (incident record) (NOAA IncidentNews)
- Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Tianjin
- 5ImportClearance at Ketchikan
Prefer chat? Chat on WhatsApp (+86 151 4514 5178)
After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Ketchikan before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Tianjin · United States ports
Need Tianjin → Ketchikan reviewed?
Share the cargo facts; we review the route in writing.
Request a Quote