Asia – North & Atlantic Europe
The map shows the Suez corridor, but in September 2026 most Asia–North Europe capacity still sails round the Cape of Good Hope.
Europe · sea freight from Xiamen
Shipping from Xiamen to Rotterdam
Xiamen to Rotterdam
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · English Channel · North Sea
- XiamenChina origin
- South China Sea
- Malacca Strait
- Indian Ocean
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Suez Canal
- Strait of Gibraltar
- English Channel
- North Sea
- RotterdamNetherlands
From Xiamen to Rotterdam, cargo moves out of Xiamen's Haicang and Songyu terminals on the Taiwan Strait, crosses a lane whose routing, Suez or Cape of Good Hope, is decided service by service, and is discharged at a port where every dangerous-goods container is declared through Portbase once the ship leaves its last port.
The Dutch side combines an interim registration route with strict port reporting. 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
- Dutch-language safety information
- Consignee EORI
- EU declaration of conformity
Route profile
The Xiamen → Rotterdam route in brief
Rotterdam
Dangerous goods notified container by container through Portbase as soon as the ship leaves its previous port, with berths near housing closed to ships carrying larger hazardous loads.
Where this route gets difficult
What to watch between Xiamen and Rotterdam: 6 points
Listed from loading in Xiamen to import into Netherlands, each with what we do about it.
- 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
EU emissions trading now covers the whole inbound voyage share
Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports, Rotterdam 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.
- Destination port
Berths near housing are closed to larger hazardous loads
The Rotterdam Port By-laws bar container and general cargo ships carrying certain quantities of hazardous substances from berthing near residential areas. The carrier's berth plan in Rotterdam therefore depends on the dangerous goods it has declared, and a late addition can affect where the ship works.
What Anxin does: We give the carrier the final dangerous-goods quantities at booking rather than after loading, so its Rotterdam berth planning is based on the real cargo.
- Import country
The ICS2 entry summary is due before loading in Xiamen
For Rotterdam, 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.
- Import country
CE marking and a declaration of conformity in the right language
Since 18 August 2024 a battery sold in the EU needs the CE marking and an EU declaration of conformity from its manufacturer. The declaration has to be available in the language Netherlands requires, and the importer is the one who must check both before the goods are released for sale.
What Anxin does: We ask the manufacturer in China for the declaration of conformity and a photo of the CE marking on the battery or its packaging before loading, and pass them to the Netherlands importer. We check that the documents exist and match the goods; we do not assess conformity.
- Import country
Annex V testing for stationary energy storage
Stationary battery energy storage systems placed on the EU market since 18 August 2024 must be safe in normal operation, with technical documentation showing tests against the Annex V parameters, including thermal shock, short-circuit protection, over-discharge and thermal propagation. ESS buyers in Netherlands increasingly ask for that file before delivery.
What Anxin does: For ESS cabinets and racks bound for Netherlands we ask the manufacturer to confirm that the Annex V test documentation exists before booking and note the answer in the shipment file.
Documents & compliance
What to have ready: Xiamen to Rotterdam
Test reports, safety data sheets and import certificates come from the shipper, factory and importer, not from Anxin; our part is to review them before booking.
At the Xiamen end
- For ESS: carriage type (container ship or multipurpose), class 9 terminal and pre-voyage meeting confirmed
- Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
- Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
- Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
- Transport-condition classification report where applicable
Carrier and voyage
- Routing (Suez or Cape of Good Hope) and any transhipment port stated on the booking confirmation
- Container-level DG data (UN number, class, packages, weight) for the Portbase notification
- UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type
For import into Netherlands
- Haulier in Netherlands briefed with UN number, class 9 and tunnel code (E) for the road leg
- Collective scheme and registration number used in the Netherlands
Before you book
Match the details first
We line up UN numbers, model names and package counts across the Xiamen filings, the booking with the carrier and the documents for Netherlands before the booking is confirmed, so that a mismatch is fixed at origin rather than discovered at Rotterdam.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESS unit arrives at a terminal without class 9 qualification | Xiamen port | Qualified terminal confirmed at booking | Anxin with the carrier |
| Emissions surcharge changes between quote and sailing | EU port call | Surcharge shown as a separate line with its basis | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| Declaration of conformity missing or not in the required language | Importer in Netherlands | Declaration and CE photo collected before loading | Manufacturer / importer |
| ENS not filed and the box is refused at loading | Loading port, Xiamen | EORI and house-bill data passed to the filer at booking | Filer (carrier / forwarder) |
Questions
Xiamen → Rotterdam: questions we are asked
The importer's: name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal address with a contact point, on the battery or, if it is too small, on the packaging or accompanying document.
Ships of 5,000 GT and above calling at EU ports are in the EU Emissions Trading System, covering 50% of the emissions of a voyage from outside the EU. Lines must surrender allowances for 70% of 2025 emissions and 100% from 2027, and may pass the cost on as a surcharge.
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
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries (ELI) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- 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))
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries (Official Journal PDF) (EUR-Lex / Publications Office of the EU)
- Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
- Port of Rotterdam Port Information Guide (Port of Rotterdam Authority)
- Hazardous substances (Rotterdam Port By-laws) (Port of Rotterdam Authority)
- Reducing emissions from the shipping sector (European Commission (DG Climate Action))
- 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 Rotterdam
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Xiamen → Rotterdam before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Xiamen · Netherlands ports
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