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 Port Royal
Xiamen to Port Royal
Taiwan Strait · East China Sea · North Pacific · Eastern Pacific · Panama Canal · Caribbean Sea · Windward Passage
- XiamenChina origin
- Taiwan Strait
- East China Sea
- North Pacific
- Eastern Pacific
- Panama Canal
- Caribbean Sea
- Windward Passage
- Port RoyalUnited States
This route runs from Fujian's battery makers through Xiamen port, then follows a Panama Canal corridor whose draft limit depends on Gatun Lake; at the far end is the port of Port Royal.
The US side starts with two filings due before loading and ends with a road leg that must carry a live emergency number. 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
- Taiwan Strait monsoon Oct–Apr
- Xiamen export
- Supply-chain tracing file
- HTS code 8507.60
- ISF filer
Route profile
How Xiamen → Port Royal 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
5 points to plan for on the Xiamen → Port Royal route
In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Port Royal and at customs in United States.
- 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
The Caribbean leg runs through hurricane country
After the canal, ships to Port Royal cross the Caribbean, where the Atlantic hurricane season lasts from 1 June to 30 November and peaks around 10 September; an average year brings 14 named storms and 7 hurricanes. Ports close ahead of a storm and vessels wait or divert.
What Anxin does: For August–October arrivals we build slack into delivery plans and pass the carrier's revised arrival straight to your consignee.
- Import country
A monitored US emergency number for the truck leg
The IMDG waiver in 49 CFR 171.25(d)(2) spares the emergency telephone number only when cargo stays on the ship or moves between vessels without using a public highway. Once the container is trucked out of Port Royal, the shipping paper needs a numeric emergency response number that is monitored at all times and answered by someone who knows the material; an answering service that calls back does not count. Goods shipped as 'Battery powered equipment' are exempt.
What Anxin does: Before sailing we confirm who provides the 24-hour number for the US leg, usually the importer's emergency response provider, and put it with the contract reference on the DG documents we send to the trucker.
- Import country
SP188 packages need an extra US marking
Small cells and batteries shipped under IMDG special provision 188 do not need a dangerous goods declaration at sea, but 49 CFR 171.25(b)(3) adds a US condition: each package of UN3480 or UN3090 must carry the 'FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT' marking or a Cargo Aircraft Only label, and so must packages of batteries with or in equipment above 5 kg net. Cartons printed for other markets often lack it.
What Anxin does: When the shipper declares SP188 for a Port Royal booking, we check the carton photos for the US marking or CAO label before stuffing, not after discharge.
- Import country
Product defects must be reported to CPSC within 24 hours
US importers, like manufacturers and retailers, must tell CPSC within 24 hours once they have information reasonably suggesting that a consumer product fails a safety rule or has a defect that could create a substantial hazard. Battery overheating reports from customers can trigger that duty, and CPSC expects any investigation to take no more than about 10 working days.
What Anxin does: We keep the manufacturer's batch records, UN 38.3 summaries and packing photos for each shipment to Port Royal, so the importer can answer CPSC questions quickly.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Xiamen → Port Royal
Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
Before loading in Xiamen
- 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)
- 'Made in China' marking on articles or containers checked on photos
For the carrier and the voyage
- Canal routing and any canal-related surcharge confirmed for the booked vessel
- Lithium battery mark (SP188 cargo) or class 9 labels and placards
- Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
At the United States end
- 24-hour emergency response number (and provider reference) for the US road leg
- Importer of record and the licensed customs broker who will file the entry
- ISF filer named; stuffing location and consolidator sent right after packing
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 → Port Royal
| 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 |
| Hurricane closes ports or diverts the vessel | Caribbean / Gulf, Jun–Nov | Slack in delivery plan | Carrier / consignee |
| SP188 cartons without the US marking | Discharge and onward trucking | Marking or CAO label checked on carton photos before stuffing | Shipper, checked by Anxin |
| Truck stopped without a monitored emergency number | Road leg from the port | Emergency response provider confirmed before sailing | Importer, checked by Anxin |
Questions
Xiamen → Port Royal: questions we are asked
For lithium-ion batteries classified in HTSUS 8507.60.0020 and entered from 1 January 2026, USTR set the Section 301 additional duty at 25%; EV traction batteries in 8507.60.0010 have been at 25% since 2024. Other duties can apply on top. The importer's customs broker confirms the classification and total duty; we make sure the invoice gives the broker enough detail to do so.
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)
- 49 CFR 172.604: Emergency response telephone number (eCFR / PHMSA)
- Advisory to Shipping A-33-2026: Postponement of maximum authorized draft adjustment in the Neopanamax locks (Panama Canal Authority)
- Tropical Cyclone Climatology (NOAA National Hurricane Center)
- 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)
Next step
From enquiry to import
- 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
- 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
- 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
- 4HandoverAt Xiamen
- 5ImportClearance at Port Royal
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After you send it
We check carrier acceptance for Xiamen → Port Royal before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
All destinations from Xiamen · United States ports
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