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Europe · sea freight from Xiamen

Shipping from Xiamen to Iskenderun

Xiamen to Iskenderun

South China Sea · Malacca Strait · Indian Ocean · Gulf of Aden · Bab-el-Mandeb · Red Sea · Suez Canal · Mediterranean Sea

Sea corridor illustration: Xiamen to Iskenderun, Turkey Simplified map with a curved corridor from Xiamen via South China Sea, Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, Bab-el-Mandeb, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea to Iskenderun. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINAINDIAAFRICASOUTH CHINA SEA Singapore / MalaccaSouth of Sri LankaGulf of AdenBab-el-MandebSuez Canal XiamenCHINA ORIGIN IskenderunTURKEY XiamenTAIWAN STRAITFUJIANTAIWANDEPARTURE AREA
  1. XiamenChina origin
  2. South China Sea
  3. Malacca Strait
  4. Indian Ocean
  5. Gulf of Aden
  6. Bab-el-Mandeb
  7. Red Sea
  8. Suez Canal
  9. Mediterranean Sea
  10. IskenderunTurkey
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.

This route runs from Fujian's battery makers through Xiamen port, then follows a Bab el-Mandeb and Suez passage into the Mediterranean; at the far end is the port of Iskenderun.

Türkiye wants the entry summary declaration 24 hours before the container is loaded in China. This page sets out 5 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.

What we need to start

  • Online packaging appraisal
  • Taiwan Strait monsoon Oct–Apr
  • Özet beyan 24 h before loading
  • TAP membership + Çevre Uyum İzni
  • TAREKS application
Ask about this route Turkey ports from Xiamen

Route profile

The Xiamen → Iskenderun route in brief

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.

Import country

Türkiye

The Turkish entry summary is due before loading in China, and the importer's TAP, TAREKS and GEKAP duties come before sale.

Container cranes at port facilities in Haicang, Xiamen, seen across the water on a hazy day
A container ship under way off the Guatemalan coast

Where this route gets difficult

5 pain points from Xiamen to Iskenderun

In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Iskenderun and at customs in Turkey.

  1. Origin port

    The Taiwan Strait's winter monsoon starts at the port

    Ships leaving Xiamen enter the Taiwan Strait straight away. A Chinese government weather account notes that the strait's funnel effect makes winds 1–2 Beaufort levels stronger than outside it, and that the winter and spring north-east monsoon brings force 7 or stronger winds on about two-thirds of days. Container ships are advised to secure lashing.

    What Anxin does: From October to April we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.

  2. 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.

  3. Sea corridor

    If the service goes round Africa instead

    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.

  4. Import country

    Özet beyan filed before the box is loaded

    For Iskenderun, Turkish customs wants the entry summary declaration 24 hours before loading in China, filed electronically to the office of discharge; the carrier is answerable for third-party filings, and an arrival notification follows when the ship docks.

    What Anxin does: We give the carrier or filer the consignee details, HS-level description and DG data at booking, well before the Xiamen cut-off.

  5. Import country

    Shops may not sell brands without a collection system

    Turkish rules forbid distributors from selling battery brands that are not covered by a collection system, and require them to take back waste batteries free of charge. A brand shipped to Iskenderun before its importer has joined the system can end up unsellable in Turkish retail.

    What Anxin does: We ask the importer to confirm the brand is registered in its collection system before the first shipment leaves Xiamen.

Locator map of Iskenderun, TurkeyIskenderun
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (36.60°N, 36.17°E).
Blue container gantry cranes on a quay at the Port of Algeciras

Documents & compliance

Documents to line up for Xiamen → Iskenderun

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
  • 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
  • Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)

For the shipping line

  • Routing (Red Sea or Cape) and any war-risk surcharge stated on the booking
  • Consignee, HS-level description and DG data to the özet beyan filer at booking
  • UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type

At the Turkey end

  • Importer's TAP membership and Çevre Uyum İzni (TAREKS)
  • Declaration of conformity and test reports for the TAREKS inspection
A portable power bank connected to a smartphone
Before you book

Send the file once, complete

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

Risks on this route and who deals with them

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
ESS unit arrives at a terminal without class 9 qualificationXiamen portQualified terminal confirmed at bookingAnxin with the carrier
Cargo shift in winter monsoon seasTaiwan Strait, Oct–AprCINS blocking and bracing checked on photosPacking site, checked by Anxin
Heavy weather off South Africa on a Cape sailingCape of Good HopeCINS stuffing checksPacking site, checked by Anxin
Entry summary late and the box is not loadedLoading port, XiamenFiling data passed at bookingCarrier / filer

Questions

Questions about shipping from Xiamen to Iskenderun

Yes. Under Communiqué 2017/15 battery imports go through a risk-based TAREKS inspection before the customs declaration is registered.

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. Sıkça sorulan sorular: Özet beyan (T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı)
  2. Türkiye: Import Requirements and Documentation (last published 2026-01-29) (International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce)
  3. Sıkça sorulan sorular: atık pil ve akümülatörler (T.C. Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı)
  4. JMIC Update 099 to Advisory Note (Joint Maritime Information Center (via UKMTO))
  5. Xiamen port energy-storage battery transport safety guide 2.0 (Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce)
  6. Xiamen MSA measures for energy-storage battery exports (Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce)
  7. Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))

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 Iskenderun
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Xiamen → Iskenderun

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

All destinations from Xiamen · Turkey ports

A forklift moving palletised cartons in a warehouse

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