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.
North America · sea freight from Xiamen
Shipping from Xiamen to Martha's Vineyard
Xiamen to Martha's Vineyard
Taiwan Strait · East China Sea · North Pacific · Eastern Pacific · Panama Canal · Caribbean Sea · Windward Passage · US East Coast
- XiamenChina origin
- Taiwan Strait
- East China Sea
- North Pacific
- Eastern Pacific
- Panama Canal
- Caribbean Sea
- Windward Passage
- US East Coast
- Martha's VineyardUnited States
This route runs out of Xiamen's Haicang and Songyu terminals on the Taiwan Strait, then follows a Panama Canal corridor whose draft limit depends on Gatun Lake; at the far end is the port of Martha's Vineyard.
US entry is decided as much by paperwork filed in China as by anything at the port. The 6 points below are particular to this lane; each comes with what we do and the paperwork it touches.
What we need to start
- Online packaging appraisal
- Taiwan Strait monsoon Oct–Apr
- Supply-chain tracing file
- HTS code 8507.60
- ISF filer
Martha's Vineyard is listed for reference only while its commercial cargo use is being checked; no offer is made on this page.
Route profile
How Xiamen → Martha's Vineyard differs from other lanes
Asia – Americas via the Panama Canal
Gatun Lake levels set how much a ship can load through Panama; the Caribbean leg then crosses hurricane waters from June to November.
Where this route gets difficult
6 pain points from Xiamen to Martha's Vineyard
In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Martha's Vineyard and at customs in United States.
- Origin port
Pre-loading meeting and a ship plan at Xiamen
For large battery consignments Xiamen MSA offers pre-review of key DG documents, a pre-loading meeting where ship, cargo owner, terminal and agent agree deck stowage and emergency measures, and a 'one ship, one plan' checklist from gate-in to departure. In June 2026 it reported 104 energy-storage containers of 36 tonnes each loaded on a multipurpose ship for Houston.
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.
- Origin port
Strong winds in the Taiwan Strait from day one
Leaving Xiamen, ships are in the Taiwan Strait at once. A Chinese government weather account says the strait's funnel effect adds 1–2 Beaufort levels to the wind, and that the north-east monsoon of winter and spring brings force 7 or more on about two days in three. Lashing on container ships should be secured accordingly.
What Anxin does: From October to April we apply the CINS blocking and bracing checks strictly on stuffing photos before sealing.
- Sea corridor
Gatun Lake sets the Neopanamax draft
How deep ships can load through Panama's new locks depends on Gatun Lake. In September 2026 the Canal Authority's advisory A-33-2026 postponed a cut in the Neopanamax draft from 14.63 m to 14.48 m that had been due on 1 October, citing lake levels; a lower limit reduces what a ship bound for Martha's Vineyard can carry.
What Anxin does: We check the canal advisory in force when we quote for Martha's Vineyard and ask carriers to confirm that the booked vessel's routing and any canal surcharge will not change before sailing.
- Import country
UFLPA: lithium became a high-priority sector in August 2025
DHS added lithium to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act high-priority sectors in August 2025. By then CBP had stopped more than 16,700 shipments for UFLPA examination. For battery importers the practical effect is that CBP can ask where cells, cathode and lithium compounds came from, and a shipment waits while the importer answers.
What Anxin does: We tell the importer at quotation stage that supply-chain tracing may be requested, and keep manufacturer names and addresses consistent across invoice, packing list and ISF so the paper trail does not contradict itself.
- Import country
Which 8507.60 line decides the Section 301 duty
For lithium-ion batteries entered from 1 January 2026 USTR set the Section 301 additional duty on HTSUS 8507.60.0020 (the non-EV line) at 25%, the level EV batteries under 8507.60.0010 reached in 2024. Other China-specific duties can be added and change at short notice, so the classification and the entry date both move the landed cost at Martha's Vineyard.
What Anxin does: We do not give duty rulings. We make sure the invoice describes chemistry, configuration and application precisely enough for the importer's customs broker to classify it, and we flag the entry date when a vessel's arrival could straddle a duty change.
- Import country
'China' has to be marked on each article or its container
19 CFR 134.11 requires every imported article, or its container, to carry the English name of the country of origin in a conspicuous place, as legibly, indelibly and permanently as the article allows, at the time it is imported. Batteries and battery products reaching Martha's Vineyard without it can be held until they are marked.
What Anxin does: We check product and carton photos for a durable 'Made in China' marking before stuffing in Xiamen, rather than leaving it for re-marking in a US warehouse.
Documents & compliance
Checklist for Xiamen → Martha's Vineyard
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; 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
- Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
- 'Made in China' marking on articles or containers checked on photos
- 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)
For the carrier and the voyage
- Canal routing and any canal-related surcharge confirmed for the booked vessel
- Dangerous goods declaration with UN number (3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091), proper shipping name and packing instruction (P903, or P908/P911 for damaged)
- Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
For the importer in United States
- HTSUS classification from the broker (8507.60.0010 vs .0020 decides the Section 301 line)
- ISF filer named; stuffing location and consolidator sent right after packing
- CPSC certificate data and eFiling arrangement, if the product is subject to certification
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 United States 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 table for Xiamen → Martha's Vineyard
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo shift in winter monsoon seas | Taiwan Strait, Oct–Apr | CINS blocking and bracing checked on photos | Packing site, checked by Anxin |
| Draft cut reduces capacity or adds surcharges | Panama Canal | Advisory checked at quotation; carrier confirmation | Carrier, checked by Anxin |
| UFLPA detention pending supply-chain evidence | CBP at entry | Importer prepares tracing documents before shipping; consistent manufacturer data on all documents | Importer |
Questions
Common questions on the Xiamen → Martha's Vineyard route
Yes. Under 49 CFR 171.25(b)(3), SP188 packages of UN3480 or UN3090 need the 'FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT' marking or a Cargo Aircraft Only label, and so do packages of batteries packed with or contained in equipment above 5 kg net. We check for it on carton photos before stuffing.
It can. In September 2026 the Panama Canal Authority postponed a planned draft cut in the Neopanamax locks because of Gatun Lake levels (advisory A-33-2026). We check the advisory in force when quoting.
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
Regulations and port sources cited
- 19 CFR 134.11: Country of origin marking required (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
- 19 CFR 149.2 – Importer security filing: requirement and time of transmission (eCFR / CBP)
- Section 301 Modifications Determination (Federal Register notice, Sept 2024) (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative)
- 49 CFR 171.25 – Additional requirements for the use of the IMDG Code (eCFR / PHMSA)
- Update: Certificates of Compliance and eFiling (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
- DHS designates steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda and red dates as UFLPA high-priority sectors (19 Aug 2025) (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
- Advisory to Shipping A-33-2026: Postponement of maximum authorized draft adjustment in the Neopanamax locks (Panama Canal Authority)
- 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 Martha's Vineyard
Prefer chat? Chat on WhatsApp (+86 151 4514 5178)
After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Xiamen → Martha's Vineyard before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Xiamen · United States ports
Need Xiamen → Martha's Vineyard reviewed?
Share the cargo facts; we review the route in writing.
Request a Quote