Flensburg-based shipping company FRS is acquiring a majority stake in Bingen-Rüdesheimer Schifffahrtsgesellschaft mbH. For almost 100 years, the long-established company has connected Rheinhessen with the Rheingau, operating car ferries and four day-excursion ships. For the region, everything that has proven itself stays in place: car ferries, scheduled and themed cruises will continue as usual, all of the around 50 employees will stay on board and Managing Director Oliver Pohl will continue to run the company. For FRS, it is the fourth acquisition on the Rhine since December 2024 and, at the same time, its entry into passenger shipping on the river.
“We would like to thank the shareholders of Bingen-Rüdesheimer for their trust in FRS. With Bingen-Rüdesheimer, FRS is entering passenger shipping on the Rhine. Together with the well-established team, we will continue the scheduled and event cruises. We intend to expand and further develop the range of services. We are happy to contribute our experience in passenger shipping, from Helgoland to Seattle.”
Tim Kunstmann, Managing Director of FRS Europe Division.
Family business to family business
“As shareholders, we did not take this decision lightly. It was important to us to find a partner who respects the company’s tradition while also bringing the strength and experience to develop it further in the long term. In FRS, we have found this partner. The fact that FRS is also a family business with a long maritime tradition played an important role.”
Michael Maul, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bingen-Rüdesheimer.
Oliver Pohl will remain Managing Director of Bingen-Rüdesheimer and will in future run the company together with Tim Kunstmann.
“This is good news for our workforce and for the region. With FRS at our side, we will continue to develop our services on the Rhine. Our passengers can look forward to reliable connections and a growing range of services. At the same time, as part of the FRS Group, we see ourselves well equipped for the future challenges of inland shipping.”
Oliver Pohl, Managing Director of Bingen-Rüdesheimer.
The car ferries MARY ROSS and RHEINTAL shuttle daily between Bingen and Rüdesheim. Each can carry up to 42 cars and 600 passengers. Commuters, residents and day-trippers use them as the direct route across the Rhine. The car ferry STADT RÜDESHEIM serves as a back-up in case one of the other two ferries is unavailable.
Crossing and cruising the Rhine from a single provider
The acquisition complements the existing FRS Rheinfähren network. FRS already operates the ferry connections between Ingelheim and Oestrich-Winkel and between St. Goarshausen and St. Goar, as well as the connection between Lorch and Niederheimbach. The Bingen-Rüdesheimer ships also call at Lorch, Niederheimbach, St. Goar and St. Goarshausen, among other places, exactly where FRS ferries cross the Rhine. At the gateway to the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site, FRS thus brings ferry services and passenger shipping together.
On course for the 100th anniversary
The history of Bingen-Rüdesheimer dates back to 1927/28. At that time, nine ferry boatmen in Bingen joined forces, while four ferrymen in Rüdesheim founded an association. In 1930, both groups pooled their strengths in the Bingen-Rüdesheimer Motorbootsbesitzer-Genossenschaft, a cooperative of motorboat owners. In 2030, the union of the Bingen and Rüdesheim boatmen will mark its 100th anniversary, by then as part of the FRS Group.
Source: FRS Group
