Today, there is unanimous agreement that one of the biggest problems facing the maritime sector is the lack of competent professionals. In order to find ways for businesses to meet the ever-changing demand for workers, a number of programs are aimed at attracting potential recruits to specific specialities and technical training. One of the professions of interest to Klaipėda Container Terminal, UAB, a company operating in the port of Klaipėda, is that of a cargo handling organizer. This occupation is unique because it exists only in companies operating in the port. We are talking about Vidas Poška, a professional, open and sincere Samogitian from Akmenė, who has been working at KKT for almost 9 years.

 

• Please tell us about your path to joining KKT?

• Like many Lithuanians, before KKT I went abroad to work. Specifically, I went to Norway, where I worked in the construction sector for almost a year. When I came back, I realized that I didn't want to continue working abroad, I wanted to stay in Lithuania, so I started an active job search. I found myself in the world of windows and doors, where I worked both as an installer and as a manager. After five years, I decided it was time to change my job profile. That's when I saw the KKT job advert. The selection interview went smoothly and I have been part of the KKT team ever since. Most importantly, I don't want to change anything, because I like where I am and what I am doing professionally.

 

• How has your career path developed over the past 9 years?

• Although I graduated from Šiauliai College with a degree in Environmental Engineering, I have never been skeptical about "mundane" specialties. I thought, and I still think, that working as an ordinary employee is not a shame, but an advantage, because you can climb the career ladder from the bottom to the top, if you are willing to learn. In my case, that was the case. I came in, as they say, "green" and started with the basics: handling and cleaning cargo, ensuring the "hanging" process, unloading gas pipelines and wind turbines from ships, etc. This is how I started to build up my professional knowledge and learn how to work with the heavy machinery at the terminal: I learnt how to work with all the terminal's loaders, with RTG cranes, I started to load containers on board the ships independently with an STS crane, and I completed all the training and courses for all the specializations to the maximum extent possible and obtained the certificates to prove it. And after this stage, I was offered the position of Stevedoring Organizer.

 

• What is the role of a stevedore in the terminal?

• This is the person - the conductor of the orchestra - who has to oversee all the activities of the terminal. And not just supervise it, but organize it properly. This position includes the various organizational tasks at the terminal, which must be allocated to the teams in a timely manner: preparing cargo for loading, organizing the work of the various machinery, ship handling, rail work, port crane operation, etc.

 

• Obviously, the field of work is very broad and there are likely to be challenges. What are they?

• Yes, there are challenges in my work too. They are unexpected and unforeseen moments in work processes. Situations where it seems that everything at work is well prepared, processes are running smoothly and easily, but suddenly there are unplanned factors that require sudden reactions and decisions.

 

• How do you deal with unexpected challenges?

• I would point out that in the terminal, all employees are closely linked to each other. Everyone's work depends on the specialists working next to them and vice versa, it is absolutely a team effort. All the staff must be properly involved in the planning phase, in the proper sharing of information and in the timely execution of the work. This is the only way to react professionally to challenges and to resolve them properly. 

 

• What motivates you most in this job?

• A focused and skilled team, when each professional knows his/her area of responsibility, when processes and work are running smoothly, then there is the highest internal satisfaction with the work and the result. As a person, I like the dynamics of this job, which is not boring, because there are always situations where you have to look outside the box, to find a solution to a problem, and that makes you grow. 

 

• There is no place for monotony in this job, is there?

• There is a beautiful saying in Lithuanian: as the day goes, so goes the news. And so, it is in our work, every day is new, there is no silence here. We move and grow with every cargo, we strive to ensure that every cargo is unloaded or loaded on time, and we want the terminal's performance to be an example to other companies operating in the port. It takes energy, drive and desire to do all of this, so monotony is not an option.

 

• What personal qualities does a stevedore need to have?

• The ability to manage the different characters and attitudes of the people in the team, to delegate work appropriately according to competence, to identify and develop talent, to resolve conflicts - all of these are covered by one quality: inexhaustible patience. 

 

• What opportunities await the person who wants to join the KKT team?

• There are indeed many opportunities for someone who wants to work in the terminal. Not only can you get to know the terminal's operations and discover yourself, but you can also get to know the port's operations up close, grow yourself with every cargo, continuously improve your competences, improve your qualifications and climb the career ladder. Unfortunately, not all new employees, or even those who have been working longer, have the ambition to learn more, it depends on their ability, willingness and attitude to work, so I wish everyone to find the inner drive that encourages them to go the extra mile towards knowledge.