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Shipping from Xiamen to Bayonne

Xiamen to Bayonne

South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Sicily Channel · Strait of Gibraltar · Bay of Biscay

Sea corridor illustration: Xiamen to Bayonne, France Simplified map with a curved corridor from Xiamen via South China Sea, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Sicily Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, Bay of Biscay to Bayonne. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIAAFRICAEUROPECENTRAL ASIAINDIAN OCEAN Singapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaBab-el-MandebSuez CanalGibraltar XiamenCHINA ORIGIN BayonneFRANCE XiamenTAIWAN STRAITFUJIANTAIWANDEPARTURE AREA
  1. XiamenChina origin
  2. South China Sea
  3. Malacca Strait
  4. Indian Ocean
  5. Bab-el-Mandeb
  6. Suez Canal
  7. Sicily Channel
  8. Strait of Gibraltar
  9. Bay of Biscay
  10. BayonneFrance
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.

Lithium batteries for Bayonne go out of Xiamen's Haicang and Songyu terminals on the Taiwan Strait. On the way they face a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and they arrive at the port of Bayonne.

France asks for a batteries IDU and eco-organisme membership before the first sale. 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

  • Xiamen export
  • Online packaging appraisal
  • IDU (batteries stream)
  • French-language safety information
  • Consignee EORI
Ask about this route France ports from Xiamen

Route profile

What sets Xiamen → Bayonne apart

Origin port

Xiamen (Haicang / Songyu)

Fujian's battery gateway, handling more than 90% of the province's lithium battery exports, with 10-minute online packaging appraisal for compliant products and the Taiwan Strait's winter monsoon on the doorstep.

Sea corridor

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.

Container cranes at port facilities in Haicang, Xiamen, seen across the water on a hazy day
A loaded container ship on the horizon

Where this route gets difficult

Where Xiamen → Bayonne shipments get held up: 6 points

Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Bayonne and the France market.

  1. Origin port

    Energy-storage units may go on multipurpose ships

    Xiamen's energy-storage transport guide 2.0 (August 2026) notes that some ESS containers are carried on multipurpose ships and requires a pre-voyage meeting with the terminal and lashing parties. It also lists the terminals with class 9 qualification: Xiamen Hyundai terminal, Yuanhai Tongda, and Haixiang berths 7–8.

    What Anxin does: For ESS units we confirm early whether the carrier offers container-ship or multipurpose carriage, which qualified terminal is used, and who attends the pre-voyage meeting.

  2. Origin port

    Xiamen MSA's 'one ship, one plan' for large battery cargo

    Xiamen MSA offers pre-review of key DG documents, a pre-loading meeting at which ship, cargo owner, terminal and agent agree deck stowage and emergency measures, and a 'one ship, one plan' checklist from gate-in to sailing. In June 2026 it reported 104 energy-storage containers of 36 tonnes each loaded for Houston on a multipurpose ship.

    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.

  3. Sea corridor

    EU emissions trading now covers the whole inbound voyage share

    Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports, Bayonne included, are in the EU Emissions Trading System: 50% of the emissions of a voyage from China are covered, and the share of emissions for which lines must surrender allowances rises from 70% (for 2025 emissions) to 100% from 2027. Carriers can pass that cost on as a surcharge.

    What Anxin does: We ask for the emissions surcharge to be shown as its own line in the quote, with the basis the carrier uses, so that successive quotes can be compared like for like.

  4. Import country

    Battery label from August 2026, QR code from February 2027

    Two marking dates fall into current shipping plans for France: the general label from 18 August 2026 and the QR code from 18 February 2027, which for EV, LMT and larger industrial batteries has to open the battery passport.

    What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the France importer to confirm the battery category and whether the label and QR-code elements are already on the goods, and compare carton photos with that answer.

  5. Import country

    The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Xiamen

    For Bayonne, EU security pre-filing happens at the other end of the voyage: the ICS2 entry summary must reach the system 24 hours before the container is loaded in Xiamen. No filing means no loading, and a missing EORI number is enough to reject it.

    What Anxin does: We collect the consignee's EORI number, an HS-level goods description and the house-bill parties at booking, and make sure the party filing the ENS has them before the Xiamen cut-off.

  6. Import country

    Mercury, cadmium and lead limits in portable batteries

    Annex I of the Battery Regulation caps mercury at 0.0005 %, cadmium at 0.002 % and lead at 0.01 % by weight in portable batteries, and the lead limit has applied since 18 August 2024. Market surveillance in France can ask the importer to show that the goods meet these limits.

    What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer for its substance declaration or test report reference and file it with the shipping documents for the France importer; we do not test batteries.

Locator map of Bayonne, FranceBayonne
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (43.50°N, 1.47°W).
Close view of stacked blue and red shipping containers at the Port of Rotterdam

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Xiamen to Bayonne

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.

In Xiamen, before the box is loaded

  • 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)
  • EU declaration of conformity and CE marking photo from the manufacturer
  • Importer name, trade name and postal address printed on battery or packaging

For the shipping line

  • 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 the importer in France

  • Label and QR-code status against the August 2026 and February 2027 dates
  • Batteries-stream IDU of the producer of record in France
  • Eco-organisme (or approved individual system) for the battery category
Cartons on a pallet being stretch-wrapped
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 France 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 → Bayonne

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
ESS unit arrives at a terminal without class 9 qualificationXiamen portQualified terminal confirmed at bookingAnxin with the carrier
Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailingEU port callSurcharge shown as a separate lineCarrier, checked by Anxin
ENS not filed and the box is refused at loadingLoading port, XiamenEORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at bookingFiler (carrier / forwarder)
Stock shipped without the label due from August 2026Importer in FranceLabel status confirmed before bookingManufacturer / importer

Questions

Common questions on the Xiamen → Bayonne route

ADR, which the EU applies to domestic journeys through Directive 2008/68/EC. UN 3480 is class 9, transport category 2, with tunnel restriction code (E).

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.

Yes. Xiamen MSA reported 104 ESS containers of 36 tonnes each loaded for Houston in June 2026. Xiamen's ESS guide 2.0 requires a pre-voyage meeting and use of a class 9 qualified terminal.

References

Official sources for this page

  1. Identifiant unique (IDU) des filières REP (ADEME, Filières REP)
  2. Filière REP Batteries (BAT) (ADEME, Filières REP)
  3. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  4. ICS2 Release 3: Prepare your business for sending goods to or via the EU by sea and inland waterways (European Commission, DG TAXUD (leaflet KP0423828ENN))
  5. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
  6. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  7. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  8. Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
  9. Xiamen port energy-storage battery transport safety guide 2.0 (Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce)
  10. Xiamen MSA measures for energy-storage battery exports (Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce)

Next step

From enquiry to import

  1. 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
  2. 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
  3. 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
  4. 4HandoverAt Xiamen
  5. 5ImportClearance at Bayonne
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Xiamen → Bayonne

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

All destinations from Xiamen · France ports

A forklift loading goods into an open shipping container

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