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.
Northeast Asia · sea freight from Xiamen
Shipping from Xiamen to Chiba
Xiamen to Chiba
Taiwan Strait · East China Sea
- XiamenChina origin
- Taiwan Strait
- East China Sea
- ChibaJapan
From Xiamen to Chiba, cargo moves through Xiamen, the port for more than 90% of Fujian's lithium battery exports, crosses a short-sea route within Asia, and is discharged at the port of Chiba.
Japan adds PSE rules for the importer and 24-hour advance filing through NACCS. 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
- Taiwan Strait monsoon Oct–Apr
- Xiamen export
- Port captain
- PSE importer
- NACCS 24-hour rule
Route profile
How Xiamen → Chiba differs from other lanes
Intra-Asia
A short-sea Asian route with no canal or chokepoint, where typhoons in summer and the north-east monsoon in winter set the pace.
Where this route gets difficult
5 points to plan for on the Xiamen → Chiba route
Listed from loading in Xiamen to import into Japan, 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
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.
- Sea corridor
North-east monsoon in the Taiwan Strait
Routes that use the Taiwan Strait meet its funnel-effect winds, 1–2 Beaufort levels stronger than outside; in winter and spring the north-east monsoon brings force 7 or more on about two-thirds of days.
What Anxin does: From October to April we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos.
- Import country
The importer of record must be a notified PSE supplier
METI requires anyone importing lithium-ion storage batteries covered by the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act to notify METI within 30 days of starting the business, inspect the batteries for appearance and output voltage, and apply the PSE mark with its own name before sale. The consignee at Chiba has to be that supplier, or buy from one.
What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the Japanese buyer who holds the PSE notification for the product, so the goods leaving Xiamen are marked with the right supplier's name.
- Import country
A customs agent is not the PSE importer
METI's FAQ is explicit that a company which only handles customs procedures as an agent is not the importer under the Act. Inspection records must also be kept for three years, so the obligation stays with the business that brings the batteries into Japan through Chiba.
What Anxin does: We make sure the invoice and the import declaration name the same Japanese company that holds the PSE notification, not only the broker.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Xiamen → Chiba
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
At the Xiamen end
- 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
- Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
- 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)
Carrier and voyage
- House B/L data sent in time for the NACCS pre-departure filing
- 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 Japan
- Importer of record matches the PSE notification holder
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 Japan 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
| 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 |
| ESS unit arrives at a terminal without class 9 qualification | Xiamen port | Qualified terminal confirmed at booking | Anxin with the carrier |
| Cargo shift in monsoon seas | Taiwan Strait, Oct–Apr | CINS stuffing checks | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| Batteries cannot be sold without PSE marking | Japanese market | Importer's notification and marking confirmed before shipment | Japanese importer |
Questions
Common questions on the Xiamen → Chiba route
Through NACCS no later than 24 hours before the ship leaves the loading port, for both master and house bills, with a relaxed deadline on certain short routes.
Typhoons occur all year in the western North Pacific, but most in August and September: the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 averages are 5.7 and 5.0 typhoons in those months.
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
Where these points come from
- Advance Filing Rules on Maritime Container Cargo Information (pre-departure filing) (Japan Customs)
- The Advance Filing Rules on Maritime Container Cargo Information (Guidance) (Japan Customs)
- FAQ on lithium-ion storage batteries under the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
- Procedures of the notifying suppliers based on the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
- Typhoon statistics: average number of typhoons (1991–2020) (Japan Meteorological Agency)
- 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 Chiba
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Xiamen → Chiba before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Xiamen · Japan ports
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