German Federal Coast Guard


The German Federal Coast Guard is a civilian law enforcement organisation whose primary missions are border protection, maritime environmental protection, shipping safety, fishery protection and customs enforcement. The Küstenwache is an association of several federal agencies, not a single entity like the United States Coast Guard.
The agencies that make up the Küstenwache have a common plan of action and direct their operations from two Coast Guard Centers, Neustadt for the Baltic Sea and Cuxhaven for the North Sea.

Structure and responsibilities

Since 2007 the Joint Situation Center Sea is in service. GLZ-See is coordinating the operational units of the federal government and the coastal states of Germany.
Units and personnel from these federal agencies make up the coast guard:
The personnel serving with the Küstenwache include both police officers and civilians from the Waterways and Shipping Office and other agencies. Küstenwache personnel do not have combatant status as it is not a military unit as many other coast guards are. In contrast, the United States Coast Guard is both a military service and a law enforcement organisation and its commissioned officers have both police and military powers. However, police officers serving with the Küstenwache retain their usual police powers, adjusted to the maritime nature of their job.

Ships and other vessels

A total of 27 ships and boats from the aforementioned institutions are in operation.
The ships are all marked with the legend "Küstenwache" as well as a black-red-gold signet on the hull and the coast guard's coat-of-arms. However, the hull colour differs from agency to agency: blue for the Bundespolizei, green for the Zoll and black for the WSV and BLE.
A number of helicopters and planes are in use as well.
Some ships:
  • Seeadler
  • Hamburg
  • ''Mellum''

    Ranks