Traditional shipping is in danger: the federal government is investing millions to preserve it

Traditional shipping is in danger: the federal government is investing millions to preserve it

The future of traditional shipping in Germany is in jeopardy. Uwe Schmidt, member of the Bundestag from the SPD, reported in the Bundestag's budget committee about decisive measures to secure this maritime heritage. An impressive five million euros were made available from the budget of the Ministry of Transport, which is intended to specifically benefit the traditional ships. This is not only intended to promote technical adjustments, but also to make new registrations easier, as is the case Weser courier reported.

But not everything goes smoothly. Schmidt explains that traditional shipping in Germany is facing a variety of challenges: from a lack of financial resources to concerns about recruiting volunteers and increased safety requirements. A worrying trend shows that the number of traditional ships in Germany has fallen from around 120 to just around 100 - it may soon be only 90. The 2018 security regulation doesn't exactly help ease the situation and is leading to financial bottlenecks for many operators.

New Maritime Heritage Initiatives

Bremen's parliamentary representative Maike Schaefer from the Greens sees a need for action and suggests building a new bridge over the museum harbor in Vegesack. This bascule bridge, based on Dutch models, could not only improve the infrastructure, but also increase the attractiveness of the port area. Schaefer encouraged the port department to seek financing from the new funding pot in order to be able to realize this step.

Meetings of traditional boatmen have also recently taken place in Hamburg, where the focus was on important topics such as tight budgets and funding opportunities. Jan-Matthias Westermann, the chairman of the German umbrella association for traditional ships, also expressed at the annual meeting of the European umbrella organization “European Maritime Heritage” (EMH) how important it is to get young people excited about traditional shipping and to create incentives for their commitment in order to keep cultural history alive. This concern is not unfounded, as over the last ten years the number of traditional ships across Europe has fallen from 6,000 to 5,000.

Funding programs in Germany

The current challenges are indeed big chunks, with the federal government providing one million euros in 2025 to preserve and make accessible Germany's maritime heritage. Nevertheless, there is a lack of low-threshold funding offers, which are particularly important for historic pleasure boats and smaller traditional ships. The “German Maritime Heritage Foundation” was created to enable targeted investments in the preservation of these ships.

An important concept was already introduced in 2019. The funding guidelines for grants for the preservation of traditional shipping are intended to be an incentive to promote safety-relevant construction and equipment measures on ship projects. Those responsible can apply for funding here, which will be received in the order in which the application is submitted, according to information from the website BAV.

Overall, traditional shipping in Germany represents a valuable link between history, culture and community life. Committed steps and support are now required from a wide range of sides in order to secure this treasure of the maritime past for future generations.