Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Germany)

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (German: Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, BSH) is a German federal authority based in Hamburg and Rostock. With some 800 employees, the agency's tasks include maritime safety, hydrographic survey, maritime pollution monitoring, and approvals of offshore installations.

Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency
Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie
AbbreviationBSH
Formation1868 as Norddeutsche Seewarte
TypeGovernment agency
PurposeMaritime and navigational safety, environmental monitoring
HeadquartersHamburg
Region served
Germany
Official language
German
President
Helge Heegewaldt
Parent organization
Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
Websitewww.bsh.de
BSH buildings in Hamburg-St. Pauli, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße

History

The agency can be traced back to Norddeutsche Seewarte (North German Naval Observatory), founded in 1867 by Wilhelm von Freeden, which issued individual sailing directions based on nautical and meteorological observations as early as 1868. After World War II, the Deutsches Hydrographisches Institut (DHI) [German Hydrographical Institute] was founded in 1945 and took over these tasks. While it was first active throughout all four zones of Allied-occupied Germany, operations in the Soviet zone ceased when the DHI became part of the Western Allies' unified zone which was to become the state of West Germany. After the German reunification of 1990, the DHI was merged with Bundesamt für Schiffsvermessung (BAS) [Federal Agency for Tonnage Measurement] to form the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. At the same time, the Seehydrographischer Dienst [Maritime Hydrographical Service] of East Germany which was part of the People's Navy was taken over.[1]

Tasks

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency provides maritime services for shipping, economy and marine environment. It is a federal agency within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The various tasks include:[2]

The agency is moreover represented in a number of national and international panels.

The head office of Federal Bureau for Maritime Casualty Investigation is in the BSH facility.[4][5]

Vessels

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency maintains a fleet of five survey vessels as of 2013.[6] Atair is expected to be replaced in 2020 by a new vessel, also named Atair.[7]

  • Atair, based in Hamburg
  • Deneb, based in Rostock
  • Wega, based in Hamburg
  • Capella, based in Hamburg
  • Komet, based in Hamburg

Messages in bottles

According to own accounts, the BSH's library presumably hosts the world's largest collection of messages in a bottle amounting to 660 items.[8]

References
  1. "History". Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  2. "Datensicherung im Fokus" [Focusing on Data Storage]. Schiff & Hafen (in German) (2): 16–17. 2010.
  3. Dehling, Thomas; Ellmer, Wilfried (2012). "Zwanzig Jahre Seevermessung seit der Wiedervereinigung" [Twenty Years of Bathymetry after the Reunification]. Hydrographische Nachrichten (in German) (93): 16–20. ISSN 1866-9204.
  4. "Imprint." Federal Bureau for Maritime Casualty Investigation. Retrieved on 16 January 2012. "Bundesstelle für Seeunfalluntersuchung (BSU) Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 78 20359 Hamburg " - Map
  5. "Impressum Archived 2015-05-10 at the Wayback Machine." Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany. Retrieved on April 19, 2014. "Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH) Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 78 20359 Hamburg Postfach 30 12 20 20305 Hamburg"
  6. "Ships". Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  7. "Germany Prepares to Commission World's First LNG-Powered Research Ship". The Maritime Executive. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  8. "Messages in Bottles". Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
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