Logistics at UG: how to start a career in the Port of Gdańsk and Gdynia?
The Tri-City is the largest logistics and port hub in Poland, and the local container terminals serve key trade routes connecting Central Europe with Asia and America. For people studying logistics at the University of Gdańsk (UG), the proximity of the Port of Gdansk and the Port of Gdynia creates excellent career prospects. However, entering the maritime industry requires an understanding of the specifics of working in terminals, forwarding structures and customs agencies.
The key to an efficient start is the right orientation already at the stage of studies in Sopot.
Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdańsk in Sopot: Forge of personnel for the maritime industry
Logistics at the University of Gdańsk is conducted primarily at the Faculty of Economics (EC) in Sopot at 119/121 Armii Krajowej Street. This location is of great historical and practical importance – this is where the Tri-City School of Maritime Transport comes from.
Institute of Transport and Maritime Trade (ITHM)
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By choosing a specialty related to maritime transport or global logistics, you come under the wings of ITHM. It is here that practitioners who advise port authorities on a daily basis, write expert opinions for container terminals and know the mechanisms of port-sea trade inside out.
Studying at the EC gives a unique opportunity to be entered on the list of customs agents free of charge without the need to pass a state exam. The prerequisite is the completion of a specific degree program covering customs law, which attracts people planning a career in port customs agencies.
The reality of studying in Sopot: Campus and commuting
The Faculty of Economics is located right next to the SKM Sopot station. This is a strategic logistical facilitation for students. It takes about 20 minutes to get there by SKM from Gdańsk Główny , and from Gdynia Główna – only 15 minutes.
Everyday student life revolves around the iconic “Monciak” (Monte Cassino Heroes Street), a few minutes’ walk from the faculty. Breaks between classes are most often spent in the faculty cafeteria or nearby student cafes, discussing projects in the field of optimizing supply chains or handling cargo in ports.
What does work in Tri-City ports look like? Specificity of sectors
Working in port logistics is not limited to supervising dock handling in a helmet and reflective vest. Over 80% of positions for UG graduates are office, analytical and operational work in office buildings located in Gdańsk’s Oliwa (e.g. Olivia Business Centre, Alchemia) or Międzytorz in Gdynia.
1. Container terminals: Baltic Hub, BCT and GCT
Terminals are the heart of port operations. It is here that sea, rail and road transport physically meet.
- Baltic Hub (formerly DCT Gdańsk): The largest deep-water terminal in the Baltic Sea, located in the Northern Port (Kontejnerowa Street). It operates the world’s largest container ships sailing directly from China. Access for students without a car is possible by bus line 158 from Gdańsk Główny.
- BCT (Baltic Container Terminal) and GCT (Gdynia Container Terminal): Located in the Port of Gdynia (along Kwiatkowskiego and Janka Wiśniewski Streets). Gdynia specializes in handling feeder (feeder) and short-sea (short-range) connections.
Examples of positions: Vessel Planner, Yard Planner, Dispatcher, Customer Service.
2. Sea Freight Forwarding
Freight forwarders are the architects of transport. They organize the transport of containers from the factory door in Asia to the importer’s warehouse in Poland. They do not have their own ships or trucks, but they buy cargo space from shipowners (e.g. Maersk, MSC, COSCO) and coordinate the whole process.
The Tri-City is home to the largest global players (Kuehne+Nagel, DSV, DB Schenker, CH Robinson) and strong Polish forwarding companies (Omida, Langowski Logistics, Terramar).
Examples of positions: Junior Sea Freight Forwarder, Freight Forwarding Assistant, Billing Specialist.
Step-by-step guide: How to start a career while still in college?
It is best to plan to enter the port and freight forwarding industry in the second or third year of undergraduate studies at the University of Gdańsk. The market values experience and knowledge of reality more than grades on a diploma.
Step 1: Activity in Scientific Clubs
Sign up for the “LogiUG” Logistics Scientific Club operating at the Faculty of Economics. The Circle organizes study visits to the Baltic Hub, BCT and distribution centers (e.g. LPP in Pruszcz Gdański). This is a great opportunity to make first contacts with operations managers, who are often looking for interns directly among active students.
Step 2: Master Key Concepts (Port Dictionary)
When going to the first job interview for a freight forwarding company in Gdynia or Gdańsk, you must use industry terminology flawlessly. Recruiters will immediately catch the lack of substantive preparation.
- Incoterms (e.g. FOB, CIF, DDP): You need to know who is responsible for the cost and risk of transport at each stage.
- TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit): A unit of measurement equivalent to the volume of a 20-foot container.
- Bill of Lading (B/L): Sea bill of lading, which is a security and proof of the conclusion of a contract of carriage.
- Demurrage and Detention: Charges for keeping a container in or out of the terminal in excess of free time.
Step 3: Internship in Freight Forwarding as an Assistant
Most Tri-City freight forwarding companies offer paid summer internships. The assistant’s work consists of entering data into operating systems, notifying containers at terminals, contacting ocean lines and monitoring the status of shipments. It is the best testing ground that teaches operational repeatability and resistance to stress (ship delays due to weather or congestion in ports are an everyday occurrence).
Comparison: Container Terminal Jobs vs. Sea Freight Forwarding Jobs
Before sending out your first applications, it’s important to understand the difference in work dynamics in both sectors.
| Feature | Working in a terminal (e.g. Baltic Hub, BCT) | Work in sea freight forwarding (e.g. DSV, Kuehne+Nagel) |
| Location | Directly at the port (Gdansk Stogi, Gdynia Port) | Office buildings in business centres (Oliwa, Redłowo) |
| Working system | Frequently shifted (24/7/365), working on weekends and holidays | Standard (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday) |
| Main Job Profile | Physical operations, loading planning, yard logistics | Customer contact, price negotiations, carrier coordination |
| Stress level | High (each minute of ship downtime costs thousands of dollars) | High (time pressure, customer complaints, difficult rate market) |
| Required predispositions | Spatial imagination, analytical thinking, resistance to pressure | Trading skills, excellent English, multitasking |
Commuting logistics: How to move efficiently between Sopot and ports?
As a future logistician, you need to optimize your daily journeys. The Tri-City infrastructure offers great opportunities, but it also has its bottlenecks.
- Getting to the Port of Gdynia: From the Sopot Główny station, take the SKM to the Gdynia Główna station (15 minutes). From there, buses 150, 125 and 105 depart to the BCT, GCT buildings or warehouses at Polska Street. The total travel time rarely exceeds 35 minutes.
- Getting to the Port of Gdansk (Baltic Hub): From Sopot, take the SKM to the Gdańsk Główny station (20 minutes). Then you change to bus line 158 going in the direction of Zimna Woda or direct bus 258 (running through the tunnel under the Martwa Wisła). The journey by car from Sopot to Baltic Hub during off-peak hours via the S7 (Sucharskiego) expressway takes about 25-30 minutes.
Earnings in Tri-City Maritime Logistics
Earnings in the maritime logistics sector in Gdańsk and Gdynia are competitive compared to other regions of Polish, which is a direct result of the uniqueness of port competences.
| Position | Average gross salary (Junior) | Average gross salary (Mid) | Average gross salary (Senior) |
| Sea Freight Forwarder | PLN 5,500 – 7,000 | PLN 7,500 – 11,000 + commissions | PLN 12,000 – 18,000+ + commissions |
| Vessel Planner | PLN 6,000 – 7,500 | PLN 8,500 – 12,000 | PLN 13,000 – 17,000 |
| Customs Agent | PLN 5,500 – 6,800 | PLN 7,500 – 10,000 | PLN 11,000 – 15,000 |
| Customer Service Specialist (Ocean Lines) | PLN 5,500 – 6,500 | PLN 7,000 – 9,500 | PLN 10,500 – 14,000 |
Terminal handling technology: How do e.Brama (Baltic Hub) and e-BCT control truck traffic?
Most academic textbooks describe port processes in a theoretical way: a ship arrives, a crane unloads a container, a truck takes it away. In the operational reality of Tri-City ports, this process is 100% digital and controlled by advanced time slot reservation systems (VBS – Vehicle Booking System).
As a junior road or sea freight forwarder, you’ll spend your first weeks working on these systems. Knowing them before starting a job is a huge advantage.
e.Gate in the Baltic Hub (Gdańsk)
This system is used to manage the movement of trucks delivering and receiving containers.
- Mechanism of action: In order for the driver to enter the terminal, the forwarder must first make a so-called pre-announcement in the Navis N4 operating system and obtain a unique PIN number of the container. Then, a specific time window is booked in the e.Brama system (e.g. 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.). Without a valid notification and PIN, the driver will be retracted from the terminal gate, which generates huge costs of car downtime (the so-called detention for the carrier).
e-BCT in Gdynia
It works on a similar principle, integrated into customs and veterinary systems. If the container is subject to border control (e.g. Sanepid, WIJHARS, Veterynaria), the forwarder must coordinate the placement of the container on the so-called inspection ramp using the e-BCT platform. The lack of synchronization between the arrival of the inspector and the physical delivery of the container through the terminal generates financial penalties, which inexperienced forwarders often cover from their own margins.
LCL vs. FCL: Where are the biggest margins and the most difficult logistics?
Logistics students at the University of Gdańsk often associate sea transport only with Full Container Load (FCL). In fact, the most profitable and most competen-intensive branch is general cargo (LCL – Less than Container Load).
Consolidation & Stripping
LCL consists in combining small shipments from a dozen different customers into one collective container (co-loading). This process requires excellent knowledge of transportation mathematics and spatial planning.
- W/M (Weight or Measurement) ratio: A general cargo forwarder must calculate the weight and volume of the cargo. The freight rate is given per ton or cubic meter (CBM) – this is always settled in favor of the parameter that is larger.
- Main operational point in the Tri-City: Consolidation warehouses (CFS – Container Freight Station). Most of them are located in logistics parks around the Tri-City bypass (Kowale, Kokoszki, less often directly in the port areas in Gdynia at Kwiatkowskiego Street). Working in the LCL department teaches optimal planning of the arrangement of irregularly shaped cargo, management of the risk of damage to goods and complicated settlement of port costs (Local Charges), which in the case of general cargo can be higher than ocean freight itself.
UG in Sopot vs. Gdynia Maritime University (UMG): Who governs in which departments?
On the Tri-City logistics labour market, there is a natural, albeit unwritten, rivalry between graduates of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdańsk (Sopot) and graduates of the Faculty of Navigation and the Faculty of Management and Quality Sciences of the Gdynia Maritime University (UMG).
Division of competences in the eyes of employers:
- Graduates of the University of Gdańsk (Sopot): They are seen as strong analysts, negotiators, and business strategists. The EC programme emphasizes finance, market analysis, supply chain management and international economic relations. They dominate sales departments, freight purchasing and Key Account Managers positions in global shipping corporations.
- Graduates of UMG (Gdynia): They have a more operational and technical profile. They understand the physical construction of ships, navigation, port operations and transshipment systems. More often than not, they take positions directly in port operations, as ship planners, supercargo or terminal operations managers (where hard technical knowledge and no fear of working in shifts directly on the quay are required).
Frequently Asked Questions
Without fluent English, do I have a chance to work in sea freight forwarding in the Tri-City?
No. English is an absolute tool for working in sea freight forwarding and port operations. Daily communication with shipowners, agents in China or ship captains takes place exclusively in this language. The minimum level to start work is stable B2. An additional advantage on the Tri-City market is knowledge of German (proximity to the German market and the ports of Hamburg/Bremerhaven) or Chinese.
Are master’s studies (second cycle) necessary to work in a port?
Most forwarding and operating companies in the Tri-City are willing to hire people who have defended their bachelor’s degree (first degree at the University of Gdańsk), offering them a full-time job and the opportunity to continue their master’s studies in a part-time (part-time) mode. In the maritime industry, practical experience gained in an office or at a terminal during two years of a master’s degree has a much higher market value than a master’s degree without work experience.
How does the work of a customs agent differ from the work of a freight forwarder?
A customs agent represents an importer or exporter before the Customs and Tax Office. He is responsible for the correct tariff classification of goods (HS codes), the calculation of customs and tax duties (customs duties, VAT, excise duties) and reporting the cargo for clearance. It is a job that requires great precision, knowledge of customs law and fiscal criminal liability. The freight forwarder, on the other hand, organizes the physical and documentary process of transporting the cargo from point A to point B, often outsourcing customs clearance to a customs agent.
Studying logistics at the University of Gdańsk gives you an excellent starting position to make a career in international maritime trade. The proximity of the ports of Gdańsk and Gdynia, access to modern container terminals and the presence of global forwarding companies make the labor market in the Tri-City constantly looking for qualified specialists. However, success in this industry depends on your proactivity – involvement in scientific circles, learning specialist vocabulary and completing your first internships before graduating from Sopot.