Asia – Mediterranean via Suez
Mediterranean services are the ones most likely to use Suez again (57% in September 2026), which puts the cargo back through Bab el-Mandeb, rated a SUBSTANTIAL threat.
Africa · sea freight from Xiamen
Shipping from Xiamen to East Port Said
Xiamen to East Port Said
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Andaman Sea · Indian Ocean · Gulf of Aden · Bab-el-Mandeb · Red Sea · Suez Canal
- XiamenChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Andaman Sea
- Indian Ocean
- Gulf of Aden
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Red Sea
- Suez Canal
- East Port SaidEgypt
This route runs through Xiamen, the port for more than 90% of Fujian's lithium battery exports, then follows a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean; at the far end is the port of East Port Said.
On the Egyptian side the ACI system needs the exporter on CargoX and the documents uploaded before the ship arrives. 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
- Xiamen export
- Online packaging appraisal
- Exporter verified on CargoX
- Importers Register entry (GOEIC)
- ACID number on the B/L
Route profile
What sets Xiamen → East Port Said apart
Egypt
An ACID number from Nafeza before the cargo leaves China, CargoX document uploads 48 hours before arrival, and a new Importers Register regime since July 2026.
Where this route gets difficult
What to watch between Xiamen and East Port Said: 5 points
Listed from loading in Xiamen to import into Egypt, each with what we do about it.
- Origin port
Xiamen's fast appraisal needs matching data
Through the single window, Xiamen Customs now issues the lithium battery packaging use-appraisal certificate after automatic pre-review matching: roughly 10 minutes in a case reported in August 2026, compared with about half a day for the former on-site inspection. Only products that pass pre-review as compliant and valid get the fast path; mismatches return to inspection.
What Anxin does: We check the product data, UN38.3 summary and packaging codes against the application before it is submitted, so the certificate comes through pre-review rather than falling back to an on-site check.
- Origin port
Pre-loading meeting and a ship plan at Xiamen
For large battery consignments Xiamen MSA offers pre-review of key DG documents, a pre-loading meeting where ship, cargo owner, terminal and agent agree deck stowage and emergency measures, and a 'one ship, one plan' checklist from gate-in to departure. In June 2026 it reported 104 energy-storage containers of 36 tonnes each loaded on a multipurpose ship for Houston.
What Anxin does: We send the key documents for pre-review before the formal filing and bring the stowage and emergency details the meeting will ask for.
- Sea corridor
The round-Africa alternative
Services that avoid the Red Sea, 43% of the Mediterranean total, go round the Cape of Good Hope and re-enter through Gibraltar. SAMSA estimates that about 200 of the 576 containers lost at sea in 2024, 35% of the total, went overboard near the Cape.
What Anxin does: On Cape sailings we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.
- Import country
The broker needs a registered power of attorney or a Nafeza authorisation
Under Customs Law No. 207 of 2020 and its Executive Regulations, a broker can only clear a private-sector shipment in Egypt with an official power of attorney through the Real Estate Registry or an electronic authorisation on Nafeza. Without it the broker at East Port Said cannot act for the importer, however complete the ACI file is.
What Anxin does: We ask the importer which broker will clear the container and whether its Nafeza authorisation is in place before the ship arrives.
- Import country
The exporter must be verified on CargoX
Under ACI the foreign exporter, here the Chinese shipper, has to register and be verified on the CargoX platform, and for sea freight must upload the commercial invoice, bill of lading, packing list and certificate of origin at least 48 hours before the vessel arrives. A shipper that has never exported to Egypt needs time to complete that verification.
What Anxin does: We check with the shipper in Xiamen that its CargoX account is verified before booking, and remind it to upload the document set as soon as the bill of lading is issued.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Xiamen → East Port Said
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.
Before loading in Xiamen
- Packaging appraisal data (product, UN38.3 summary, packaging codes) checked before single-window submission
- For ESS: carriage type (container ship or multipurpose), class 9 terminal and pre-voyage meeting confirmed
- 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)
- ACID number from the importer, printed on B/L draft, invoice and packing list
Carrier and voyage
- Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
- 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 Egypt
- Broker's power of attorney or Nafeza e-authorisation
- Importers Register status (GOEIC)
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 Xiamen export filings, the carrier booking and the Egypt 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
Risk table for Xiamen → East Port Said
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fails pre-review and falls back to on-site inspection | Xiamen Customs | Data checked against the application first | Anxin with the manufacturer |
| Heavy weather off South Africa on a Cape sailing | Cape of Good Hope | CINS stuffing checks | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| CargoX documents not uploaded in time | Egyptian Customs (ACI) | Upload reminder when the B/L is issued | Shipper |
Questions
Xiamen → East Port Said: questions we are asked
A 19-digit number the Egyptian importer obtains on Nafeza before the shipment departs; it must be on the bill of lading and all shipping documents, or the cargo is not unloaded.
Often: in September 2026, 57% of Asia–Mediterranean services used the Red Sea routing. Bab el-Mandeb was rated a SUBSTANTIAL threat by the JMIC on 24 September 2026, so we confirm each service's routing before booking.
For products that pass automatic pre-review, Xiamen Customs issues it through the single window; the case reported in August 2026 took about 10 minutes, against about half a day for the old on-site inspection. Products that do not pass pre-review still need inspection.
References
Regulations and port sources cited
- ACI: frequently asked questions (Egyptian Customs Authority)
- JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
- Xiamen Customs smart supervision of lithium battery dangerous-goods packaging (Fujian Provincial Department of Industry and IT (from Fujian Daily))
- Faster clearance for Fujian lithium battery exports (Fujian Provincial Department of Industry and IT)
- Xiamen port energy-storage battery transport safety guide 2.0 (Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce)
- Xiamen MSA measures for energy-storage battery exports (Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce)
- 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 Xiamen
- 5ImportClearance at East Port Said
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Xiamen → East Port Said before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Xiamen · Egypt ports
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