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.
Europe · sea freight from Xiamen
Xiamen to Botas
South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Gulf of Aden · Bab-el-Mandeb · Red Sea · Suez Canal · Mediterranean Sea
From Xiamen to Botas, cargo moves out of Xiamen's Haicang and Songyu terminals on the Taiwan Strait, crosses a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean, and is discharged at the port of Botas.
Türkiye checks battery imports through TAREKS before the customs declaration is registered. 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
Route profile
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.
Türkiye inspects battery imports through TAREKS before the customs declaration, and importers must be in the TAP collection system.


Where this route gets difficult
Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Botas and the Turkey market.
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.
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.
The 43% of Mediterranean services not using the Red Sea sail round the Cape of Good Hope, then back through Gibraltar. SAMSA estimates about 200 of the 576 containers lost at sea in 2024 went overboard near the Cape, 35% of the year's total.
What Anxin does: On Cape sailings we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.
Battery importers in Türkiye have to join TAP, the Ministry-authorised association for portable battery producers and importers, or its system. TAP's board decides within 30 days; only then can the importer apply through TAREKS for the Ministry's environmental compliance permit (Çevre Uyum İzni).
What Anxin does: Before booking we ask the Turkish importer for its TAP membership and permit status, so a first-time importer starts the 30-day process before the goods leave Xiamen.
Türkiye charges a recovery contribution (GEKAP) on batteries placed on the market, imports included, payable to the Ministry of Treasury and Finance under Environment Law No. 2872. It is the importer's liability, but the quantities and battery types on the invoice and packing list are what it is calculated from.
What Anxin does: We make sure the invoice and packing list give battery type, quantity and weight per line, so the importer can calculate GEKAP from the shipping documents.

Documents & compliance
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.

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 Xiamen filings, the carrier booking and the Turkey 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
| 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 |
| Heavy weather off South Africa on a Cape sailing | Cape of Good Hope | CINS stuffing checks | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| Importer not in a collection system; no environmental permit | Turkish importer | TAP and permit status checked before booking | Importer |
Questions
At least 24 hours before the container is loaded at the departure port in China, filed electronically to the customs office of discharge.
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
Next step
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We check carrier acceptance for Xiamen → Botas before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Xiamen · Turkey ports

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