Flotte Hamburg Expands Operations with First Client Outside Hamburg

Flotte Hamburg, responsible for the integrated management of the city's maritime fleet since 2017, has secured its first client outside the port. The company will now manage four coastal patrol boats belonging to the State Police of Lower Saxony.

For Flotte Hamburg, this collaboration represents an important milestone in the company's development and a challenge that will drive the expansion of its specialized fleet.

Dr. Melanie Leonhard, Hamburg's Senator for Economy, Labor, and Innovation, stated that "the fact that Flotte Hamburg is operating for another federal state for the first time demonstrates the effectiveness of our model. Hamburg has accumulated extensive experience in managing its public maritime fleet. Leveraging this experience together with Lower Saxony is now logical and constitutes a good example of cooperation in northern Germany. Especially now that resilience and the protection of critical infrastructure are becoming increasingly important, it is a great advantage to be able to jointly utilize existing expertise."

Daniela Behrens, Minister of Interior, Sport, and Digitalization of Lower Saxony, explained that "Lower Saxony and Hamburg have always maintained close and strong cooperation in the maritime sector. The challenges we face as coastal states are best overcome by working together and in collaboration. By using Flotte Hamburg's services, we are taking another step towards comprehensive, global, and resilient management in this highly complex technical field."

"Both states will benefit from the resulting synergies, particularly through increased availability of our coastal vessels and greater joint influence in the market for government vessels. Furthermore, this close cooperation opens opportunities to jointly drive innovation. In this way, we not only strengthen the operational capabilities of the maritime police forces of Lower Saxony and Hamburg, but also make an important contribution to the future viability and security of our maritime infrastructure," added Behrens.

Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority, indicated that "efficient maritime infrastructure does not end at state borders. Hamburg and Lower Saxony depend on operational waterways, secure ports, and reliable maritime services. The cooperation between Flotte Hamburg and the State Police of Lower Saxony demonstrates how collaboration can make our structures more resilient and future-proof."

Meanwhile, Karsten Schönewald, Managing Director of Flotte Hamburg, expressed that "we are very pleased to have secured the State Police of Lower Saxony as our first client outside Hamburg. This is an important milestone for Flotte Hamburg and, at the same time, a confirmation of our business model and our maritime expertise. We can now put our experience in professional technical and commercial vessel management at the service of our partner in Lower Saxony. At the same time, we are jointly creating the conditions for a modern and future-proof fleet."

As part of the cooperation, Flotte Hamburg will acquire the coastal vessels W2, W3, W4, and W5 at their market value, which will then be chartered to the State Police of Lower Saxony under a bareboat charter agreement.

Therefore, the State Police will take over the operational use of the vessels, including ensuring their availability. The four existing coastal vessels will be gradually replaced by new, modern, and environmentally friendly vessels. As a first step, the replacement of one of the vessels is planned.