Overview
I spent 6 months, from 1 March to 1 September 2026, as a working student in the chartering department of a tanker shipping company in Germany. Coming in twice a week, part-time, I got the chance to gain practical exposure to the topics I had been learning at university, and to experience first-hand the real workflow inside a shipowner-ship operator firm.
I learned that practical experience plays a crucial role in this industry, because it turns out you don't really know even the subjects you're most sure of until you've used them. It was a humbling experience, but never a discouraging one — I was given the freedom to approach work my own way, the chance to use my creativity in getting things done, and help and answers whenever I needed them.
What I did and what I learned
My first few tasks were simple and administrative: organizing files, gathering certificates, getting introduced to the systems and the work culture of the office. As the days passed, I started seeking out more responsibility.
EU ETS tracker
My first real task was to build a database and reporting system for the EU Emissions Trading System. I created an Excel project that takes in raw exposure and allocation data and turns it into insights that are reliable and easy for management to use in decision-making — it's still being used today. Through this project I learned how much emissions regulation shapes the economics of shipping and compliance.
Competitor research
Next, I did deep research into competitors in the market and put together a report on their public financial and operational information. I came away understanding why you have to keep an eye on your rivals — you're fighting for the same thing: the cargo.
SIRE tracker
I built a SIRE tracker that keeps track of the fleet's vetting information: deficiencies, their types, their chapters, and trends across the fleet that need attention. I was responsible for keeping it live and updated every time a vessel had a new inspection. I learned that a clean inspection history is one of the most important things when presenting a vessel to a charterer — a vessel with clean vetting is simply more attractive on the market.
Weekly customer reports
When a coworker went on vacation, I took over writing weekly reports to a customer on current market rates and the operational status of the vessels.
TCE earnings database
I built another database and reporting system, this time for TCE earnings over time, per vessel. It tracks how earning trends shift by vessel, charterer, broker, and route. This gave me a first-hand look at the financial side of shipping — what actually drives earnings, and how geopolitical events shape the tanker market: oil flow, refinery access, exports and imports.
Bunker consumption project
This was my biggest project. The goal was to turn a huge, messy pile of noon report data into reliable bunker consumption rates for the whole fleet, across more than 1,200 voyages. I tried many different methods and failed more than once. Toward the end, a new idea came to me — a way to match noon reports to voyages — and it worked. The results turned out to be genuinely reliable. Along the way I learned how much bunker consumption rates affect voyage economics, and how what's on paper almost never matches reality. But more than anything, I learned not to give up when nothing I was trying seemed to work.
Alongside these main projects, I kept up my daily tasks — small reports here and there, watching how my coworkers in chartering and operations worked, and staying curious about the industry.
What's next
My university requires a full-time internship, one whole semester inside a shipping company, in order to graduate. I've stayed with the same company for it, and the internship runs from 1 September 2026 to 1 March 2027 — this time with a real chartering focus. I'm glad I made that decision. I believe I've made real progress and gained real exposure to shipping economics, chartering, operations, and the everyday problems that come with them.