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FRS GmbH & Co KG (formerly ''Förde Reederei Seetouristik'', also operating internationally as ''Fast Reliable Seaways''), commonly known as FRS, is a German transportation company specializing in
passenger ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...
and
freight transport Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been exte ...
ation. It originally started as a regional passenger ferry operator founded in 1866. Since then, it has expanded in recent years to an international business group and became one of Europe's leading ferry operators. FRS provides conventional ferries, as well as high speed ferries. With 70 vessels and approximately 2,000 employees worldwide, FRS transports 7.9 million passengers and 2.1 million vehicles per year. The company group has its headquarters in Northern Germany,
Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...
and comprises 17 subsidiaries located in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
,
North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
,
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
and
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. Focusing on national and international ferry and catamaran operations, FRS also specializes in Offshore Logistics, Port Management, Crewing and Maritime Consulting.


Subsidiaries


Ferry operators

* ÆrøXpressen, connecting the island of Ærø to the Danish mainland * Clipper Navigation, Inc., of
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
, acquired in 2016 * FRS Helgoline, serving
Heligoland Heligoland (; , ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , ) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. The islands were historically possessions of Denmark, then became possessions of the United Kingdom from 1807 to 1890. Since 1890, the ...
and the lower
Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
* FRS Syltfähre, connecting the German island of
Sylt Sylt (; ; Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, with a distinctively shaped shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Fris ...
and the Danish island of
Rømø Rømø (, ) is a Danish island in the Wadden Sea. Rømø is part of Tønder Municipality. The island had 650 inhabitants as of 1 January 2011,
* National Ferries Company, operating in Oman * Reederei Hiddensee, a subsidiary of Weiße Flotte, serving the island of
Hiddensee Hiddensee () is a Auto-free zone, car-free island in the Baltic Sea, located west of Germany's largest island, Rügen, on the Germany, German coast. The island has about 1,000 inhabitants. It was a holiday destination for East Germany, East Germ ...
* Weiße Flotte, with service in the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
, as well as electric ferries for passengers in Berlin and Wolfsburg


Other services

* Albanian Ferry Terminal Operator, managing ports on the Adriatic Sea * FRS Iberia/Maroc, operating in the
Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...
,
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
and
Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...
(sold to DFDS in September 2023). * FRS Offshore, an operator of offshore service vessels along the north coast of Germany *FRS Windcat Offshore Logistics, a joint venture with Windcat Workboats * FRS Ship Management, providing crewing and software


Fleet


Fast Ferries (vehicle and passenger)

* HSC ''Ceuta Jet'', operated by ''FRS Iberia S.L.'' (since 1998) * HSC ''Algeciras Jet'', operated by ''FRS Iberia S.L.'' (since 1999) * HSC ''Tarifa Jet'', operated by ''FRS Iberia S.L.'' (since 2006) * HSC ''Hormuz'', operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2008) * MS ''Jawharat Masirah'', operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2013) * MS ''Shannah'', operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2013) * HSC ''Al Hallaniyat'', operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2013) * HSC ''Sawqrah'', operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2013) * HSC ''Masirah 4'', operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2013)


Fast Ferries (passengers only)

* Taxiboot ''Pirat'', operated by ''Reederei Hiddensee GmbH'' (since 1993) * Taxiboot ''Störtebeker'', operated by Reederei Hiddensee GmbH (since 1993) * HSC ''San Gwann'', operated by ''FRS-Fast Reliable Seaways, LLC (since 2016)'' * HSC MV ''Victoria Clipper V'', operated by '' Clipper Navigation, Inc.'' (since 2018), prior HSC * HSC MV ''San Juan Clipper'', operated by '' Clipper Navigation, Inc.'' (since 2018), prior HSC * HSC ', operated by ''FRS Helgoline GmbH & Co. KG'' (2003–2017) * HSC ''Newbuild'', operated by ''FRS Helgoline GmbH & Co. KG'' (since 2018)


Combi-Ferries / Ro-Pax-Ferries

* MS ''Tanger Express'', operated by ''FRS Iberia S.L.'' (since 2003, modernized in 2015) * MS ''Kattegat'', operated by ''FRS Iberia S.L.'' (since 2013, modernized 2015) * MS ''Al Andalus Express'', operated by ''FRS Iberia S.L.'' (since 2016) * MS Miramar Express, operated by ''FRS Iberia S.L.'' (since 2016)


Conventional passenger ferries

* MS ''Gellen'', operated by ''Reederei Hiddensee GmbH'' (since 1993) * MS ''Schaprode'', operated by ''Reederei Hiddensee GmbH'' (since 1993) * MS ''Insel Hiddensee'', operated by ''Reederei Hiddensee GmbH'' (since 1995) * MS ''Altefähr'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'' (since 1996) * MS ''Hansestadt Stralsund'', operated by ''Reederei Hiddensee GmbH'' (since 1996) * MS ''Bültenkieker'', operated by ''Weiße Flote GmbH'' (since 1996) * MS ''Hanseblick'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'' (since 2009) * ''Wappen von Breege'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'' (since 2016) * MS ''Kleine Freiheit,'' operated by ''FRS HanseFerry'' (since 2017), prior S''eebad Juliusruh'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'' (since 2016) * MS Sundevit, operated by Reederei Hiddensee GmbH (since 1992) * MS ''Alfagen'', operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2015) * MS ''Knipan'', operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2015) * MS Viggen, operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2015) * MS Ejdern, operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2015) * MS Gudingen, operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2015) * MS Skiftet, operated by ''FRS Management'' (since 2015)


Double-ended car ferries

* MF RömöExpress, MS RömöExpress (2019–present) * MF SyltExpress, MS SyltExpress (2005–present) * MF Vitte (1992–present) * MF Stahlbrode (1994–present) * MF Glewitz (1994–present) * MF Warnow (1995–present) * MF Breitling (1995–present) * MF Wittow (1996–present) * MF Stralsund (1995–present) * Nordic Duck


Solar Ferries

* SF ''Fährbär 1'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'', used in Berlin (since 2014) * SF ''Fährbär 2'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'', used in Berlin (since 2014) * SF ''Fährbär 3'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'', used in Berlin (since 2014) * SF ''Fährbär 4'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'', used in Berlin (since 2014) * SF ''Sünje'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'', used in Wolfsburg (since 2015) * SF ''Aluna'', operated by ''Norddeutsche Binnenreederei GmbH'' (since 2017/2018)


Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV)

* CTV ''Windcat 28'', operated by ''FRS Windcat Offshore Logistics (FWOL)'', used for Offshore-Windparks in the German Baltic Sea (since 2012) * CTV ''Windcat 34'', operated by ''FWOL'', used in the German Baltic Sea (since 2014) * CTV ''Windcat 35'', operated by ''FWOL'', used in the German Baltic Sea (since 2014) * CTV ''Windcat 40'', operated by ''FWOL'', used in the German Baltic Sea (since 2016)


Taxiboats

* MY Störtebeker, operated by Reederei Hiddensee GmbH (since 1993) * MY Pirat, operated by Reederei Hiddensee GmbH (since 1993)


Icebreaker

* ''Swanti'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH''


Hovercraft-Boat

* ''Nordic Jet'', operated by ''Nordic Jetline''


Rowing boat

* ''Paule III'', operated by ''Weiße Flotte GmbH'' (since 2015)


Fleet of operated vessels

* MS ''Atlantis'' (2005–2014; chartered) * HSC ''Tanger Jet'', later ''Dolphin Jet'' (2001–2011) * HSC Thundercat 1 (2004–2008) * MS ''Kloar Kimming'' (2007; chartered) * HSC Hanse Jet (1996–2004) * HSC Baltic Jet (1997–2004) * HSC Flying Viking (2002–2003) * HSC Cat No. 1 (1999–2006) * MS Wappen von Hamburg (1983–2005) * MS Helgoland (2004–2005) * MS Wilhemlshaven (2004–2005) * MF Vikingland (1979–2007) * MF Westerland (1979–2006) * MS Baltic Star (1975–2000) * MS Dania (1980–2001) * MS ''Ostsee'' (1969–1986) * MS Ostsee (1990–1998) * MS Nordsee I (1975–1998) * MS Poseidon (1977–2002) * MS Wappen von Flensburg (1992–1999) * MS Seemöwe (1993–2003) * MS ''Seemöwe II'' (1975–2003) * MS Mommark (1969–2003) * MS Fritz Reuter (1990–1999) * MS ''Mecklenburg'' (1992–1999) * MS ''Fehmarn I'' (1975–1999) * MS ''Viking'' (1968–1999) * MS ''Kollund'' (1966–1998) * MS ''Glücksburg'' (1959–1998) * MS ''Afrodite'' (1970–1998) * MS ''Jürgensby'' (1968–1998) * MS ''Baltica I'' / ''Habicht II'' (1977–1995) * MS ''Mürwik'' (1937–1945) * MS ''Mürwik'' (1959–1990) * MS ''Wappen von Heiligenhafen'' (1981–1988) * MS ''Stadt Flensburg'' (1971–1987) * MS ''Meierwik'' (1963–1987) * MS ''Reiher II'' (1979–1986) * MS ''Albatros'' (1935–1971) * MS ''Albatros'' (1977–1986) * MS ''Alexandra'' (1935–1986) * MS ''Moby Dick'' / ''Moby Dick I'' (1970–1985) * MS ''Forelle'' (1935–1984) * MS ''Danica'' (1980–1983) * MS ''Langballigau'' (1965–1977) * MS ''Libelle'' (1935–1976) * MS ''Habicht'' (1935–1957)


Routes


References


External links


FRS Holding official site (en, de)

Spain-Morocco traffic (en, de, fr, es)

Nordic Jet Line Estonia-Finland traffic (en, fi, ee)

Rømø-Sylt ferry traffic (de, da)

Island Helgoland traffic (de)

Weiße Flotte GmbH (de)

Island Hiddensee traffic (de)

Consultancy for ferry operations by FRS (en)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forde Reederei Seetouristik Ferry companies of Germany