If you’ve ever had qualms about selling into Poland, or sourcing from that country, it’s time to stop worrying. Shipping from the US to Poland, or vice versa, has grown much simpler since Poland joined the European Union in 2004.

As you consider business and trade opportunities in Poland, here are some facts about shipping to keep in mind:

1. If you ship directly to a Poland port, build in a little extra time

The steamship lines mostly use smaller cargo ships, known as feeder vessels, to serve ports in Poland. Feeder vessels don’t make the trans-Atlantic crossing. Say you book a container from Norfolk to Gdynia. The line loads your cargo on a trans-Atlantic container ship bound for one of the large European ports. There, your container is transferred to a feeder vessel for the final leg of the trip. The same happens in reverse when you ship from Poland to the US. The transshipment adds a few days to the trip, so you’ll need to account for that in your planning.

Read our eBook, “How to Save on Shipping from Poland to the US” 

2. You can use a Polish port, but you don’t have to

Some shippers who do business in Poland will load or receive their cargo at the Poland ports of Gdynia or Gdansk. Others would rather use a European base port such as Hamburg or Rotterdam. The choice comes down to speed and money. Rather than use a feeder vessel to connect the transatlantic port to Poland, it’s faster, but more expensive, to ship by truck between these points. The cost of avoiding the feeder leg would be impacted by the drayage distance and the value-added tax (VAT) you incur when your cargo lands in a specific country.

Since Poland belongs to the EU, trucking a load, for example, from the Port of Hamburg to a customer in Warsaw is simple. Once you clear customs in Hamburg, your container rolls over the German-Polish border without any formalities. It’s just like trucking a load from the Port of New York to a customer in Pennsylvania. 

3. Poland is rich in options for landside transportation

Poland’s freight rail network reaches all parts of the country. Wherever your Polish origin or destination may be, it’s likely to be a reasonable drive from a rail ramp. Poland also boasts a high-quality highway network. This wasn’t always the case: before Poland joined the EU, poor roads there posed a serious obstacle to freight transportation. But over the past 15 years or so the EU has invested heavily in improvements to Polish highways. 

There have also been notable improvements in shipping companies in Poland that handle truck and rail logistics. They are increasingly employing intermodal services that integrate truck and rail, streamlining domestic distribution and cross-border flows. There have also been major investments in intermodal terminals (such as in Małaszewicze, Poznań, Łódź, and Sławków), enabling efficient container transfer between rail and road and speeding transit times.

Many logistics firms in Poland have adopted digital freight platforms and GPS fleet tracking to improve visibility. Real-time shipment tracking, electronic proof of delivery (ePOD), and dynamic route planning have become standard, even among mid-sized providers.

4. Poland’s strategic role in European supply chains keeps growing

As Europe reconfigures its supply chains to increase resilience, Poland has emerged as a critical logistics and manufacturing hub for companies looking to serve both Western and Eastern Europe. Its central location and EU membership make it a preferred gateway for goods moving across the continent.

In recent years, many multinationals have shifted sourcing and distribution to Poland as part of nearshoring strategies, particularly in response to disruptions caused by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and trade tensions with China. This has led to increased demand for warehousing, intermodal infrastructure, and domestic distribution services – all of which Poland is actively expanding, and all of which accrues to the benefit of US exporters. 

5. If you truck your freight, watch the calendar

Unlike the US, many European countries restrict heavy truck traffic on certain days. The rules vary from country to country, even within the EU. Poland, for instance, bans truck traffic during certain periods before and on public holidays. In the summer, it adds restrictions every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you don’t keep these rules in mind, unexpected delays could catch you off guard. 

6. You can count on ocean freight rates holding steady

The trade imbalance between Europe and the US means many more containers ship to the US than ship outbound. For that reason, container shipping rates from the US to Poland have been flat for years, because the name of the game for the carriers seems to be moving at least some cargo rather than just returning empty containers to Europe. Rates may rise occasionally by a couple hundred dollars, but then come back down again.

Unlike US imports, exporters shipping from the US to Poland will never see peak season congestion surcharges.

7. The US East Coast to Poland lane won’t be affected by current political strife

The sporadic attacks against vessels moving through the Red Sea have added a couple of weeks to sailing times on trade lanes connecting East Asia and Europe, as well as lanes between East Asia and the US East Coast as carriers re-route vessels around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. But this geopolitical strife hasn’t impacted the stable US East Coast-to-Poland lane. The typical transit time is 3-4 weeks, going first to a major Western European base port like Rotterdam, Hamburg, or Bremerhaven, then by feeder vessel to Gdansk or Gdynia in Poland.

Shipping to Poland from the US West Coast takes about 6-7 weeks, going through the Panama Canal, then across the Atlantic to Europe. If time isn’t an issue and you’re looking to save on ocean freight, there is limited service from the West Coast to Asia, then via transshipment around the Cape of Good Hope to European ports. This is slightly cheaper than the Panama Canal route, and can take from 80 to 90 days.

As there is so much more cargo volume coming into than going out of the US, the cost of shipping to Poland is roughly half of the cost of importing Polish goods here.

8. It pays to have a partner in Poland 

A freight forwarder that manages a lot of cargo volume on a specific lane often negotiates much better rates with steamship lines than a shipper could do on their own – especially a smaller shipper. 

So, when you ship from the US to Poland, you’ll usually get the best rates with a forwarder that has an office in the US. If you ship from Poland to the US, you’re best off working with a forwarder that has an office in Poland. The ideal solution is to partner with a forwarder, like I.C.E. Transport, that maintains offices in both countries.

Working with a forwarder with ties to both the US and Poland also helps smooth the customs clearance and importation process. According to Andrew Rozek, President of I.C.E. Transport, “Our in-house customs offices in both Poland and the US can handle pretty much any type of customs clearance, assisting with both import and export shipments.”  

Expert help for shipping from the US to Poland

When you work with a US-based forwarder that has a strong presence in Poland, you gain other advantages as well. 

• A broker with knowledgeable staff on the ground in Poland understands how to move cargo quickly and efficiently
• Good relationships with trucking companies, rail lines and other transportation partners ensure capacity is there when you need it, at a fair price. 
• Close working relationships with staff at marine terminals in Poland can help get a container in at the last minute if need be, or help you get it out of port quickly.

It also helps to have people on your team who are native Polish speakers. While much of Poland can conduct business in English, some people there prefer to use their own language. A thoroughly bilingual staff like you have at I.C.E. Transport will make sure that communications flow freely, without any costly misunderstandings.

For more guidance on successful shipping from the US to Poland, or shipping from Poland to the US, get in touch with the Poland shipping specialists at I.C.E Transport.