8/26 – Customer agency
The German Flag conducts a market exploration process for a private agency to further improve its customer service.
In a market exploration process running through 25 September 2026, companies can express their interest in a service concession for the German Flag. The primary role of such a private agency will be to provide service-oriented and industry-specific support to existing and new German Flag clients and to act as a reliable point of contact for all matters related to the German Flag. The agency is expected to significantly reduce the administrative burden on clients and ensure effective communication with the German flag state administration.
The agency’s primary clientele will consist of owners, charterers, ship managers, and similar entities based in Germany. In the future, however, the agency will also target clients with seagoing vessels registered in foreign shipping registers that are eligible to fly the German Flag.
The market exploration conducted by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) aims to determine whether there is market interest to establish an agency for the German Flag. If there is sufficient market interest, the plan is to issue a call for bids for a seven-year service concession.
