What Adler-Schiffe does

Adler-Schiffe GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held, second-generation family-owned passenger shipping company founded in 1950 by Kurt Paulsen and now led by Sven Paulsen. Headquartered on Sylt, it operates the largest passenger vessel fleet in the German coastal passenger shipping sector — approximately 26–29 ships ranging from a 1905 side-wheel paddle steamer (Raddampfer Freya) to high-speed catamarans (MS Adler-Express, MS Adler CAT) and the fully electric MS Adler nature launched in April 2024. The company runs scheduled excursion and ferry services across roughly 21 departure harbors spanning the North Sea (Sylt, Nordstrand, Dagebüll, Amrum, Föhr, Tönning, Pellworm, Hooge) and the Baltic Sea (Wismar, Rügen, Usedom, Kiel, Swinemünde, Misdroy), plus inland waterways (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, Elbe, Eider).

The company monetizes through diversified revenue streams: individual passenger ticket sales (single, round-trip, day cards) sold online with a 10% digital discount or at harbor counters; group bookings for 20+ passengers with reserved seating; private charter of event vessels (MS KOI, MS Princess, Raddampfer Freya, MS Merkur II) for corporate and private celebrations; sea burial ceremonies (Seebestattungen) at 19 locations coordinated with 30+ funeral home partners; combined tickets bundling passages with wine tastings and attractions; gift vouchers (Wertgutscheine) valid for three years; and a diesel surcharge applied from May 2025. It also operates a Polish subsidiary (Adler-Schiffe Polska Sp. z o.o.) and a joint venture (Adler & Eils GmbH & Co. KG) with Reederei Cassen Eils in Büsum.

Technology infrastructure is conventional: a PHCOM Informatik reservation/booking system, 1&1 IONOS hosting, Google Analytics, CleverReach email, and Google Maps integration. Distribution is hybrid — online self-serve plus dense physical ticket counters and pre-sale outlets at every departure harbor. The customer base is fragmented long-tail (individual tourists and day-trippers), with secondary mid-market (group travel) and enterprise (corporate charter) segments. Forward strategy centers on green fleet renewal (electric propulsion + H2 hybrid for newbuilds), maritime education/research diversification via the MS Zukunft Meer lighthouse project with Schleswig-Holstein, and premium entertainment products (MS Queen dinnerspektakel, Hamburg, April 2026).

Name

Adler-Schiffe

Legal name

Adler-Schiffe GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://adler-schiffe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Adler-Schiffe is a family-owned German passenger ferry and excursion operator, running the largest fleet (26–29 vessels) across the North and Baltic Sea coasts from Sylt to Swinemünde. It serves individual tourists, groups, corporate charters, and sea burial clients via tickets, charters, and combined offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Passenger Transportation and Excursion Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210), Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tourist & Sightseeing Cruise Operators (Day Cruises) (TLAFALAF), Shore Excursion Operators (Tours & Activities) (THAEAFAC)

Keywords

• Passenger ferry services
• Maritime excursion tours
• Coastal passenger shipping
• Sea burial services
• Charter event vessels

Headquarters

HQ city

Wismar

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Passenger Ticket Sales (Individual Excursions): Core revenue stream from sale of tickets for scheduled ferry and excursion trips across the North Sea (Sylt, Nordstrand, Dagebüll, Amrum, Föhr, Tönning, Pellworm, Hooge) and Baltic Sea (Wismar, Rügen, Usedom, Swinemünde, Misdroy, Kiel). Tickets are sold online, at harbor counters, and at pre-sale outlets. Single tickets, round-trip tickets, and day cards are offered.
2. Charter & Eventschiffe (Private Charter): Private charter of event vessels (MS KOI, MS Princess, Raddampfer Freya, MS Merkur II) for weddings, corporate events, birthday celebrations, and other private functions. Revenue generated through direct sales to corporate and private clients at premium pricing.
3. Combined Tickets (Kombitickets): Bundled tickets combining ship passage with other services such as wine tastings, visits to attractions (Ozeaneum Stralsund), and bus transfers. Revenue is shared with partner service providers.
4. Gift Vouchers (Gutscheine): Sale of value gift vouchers (Wertgutscheine) in arbitrary amounts, valid for three years, redeemable against any ship excursion. Generated upfront cash flow prior to service delivery.
5. Sea Burials (Seebestattungen): Adler-Schiffe operates a dedicated sea burial service across 19 locations on the North and Baltic Sea. Revenue includes ceremony fees, catering options, urn sales, and memorial cruise tickets. Vessels used include MS Merkur II, MS Adler XI, MS Hansestadt Wismar, Gret Palucca, MS Adler IV/VI, MS Adler V, Marie Claire, and others depending on location.
6. Diesel Surcharge: From 1 May, a diesel surcharge is added to ticket prices on most ships due to rising fuel costs, generating supplementary revenue per ticket sold.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Adler-Schiffe operates a fleet of approximately 26–29 passenger vessels providing scheduled ferry connections and excursion tours across the North Sea (Sylt, Nordstrand, Dagebüll, Amrum, Föhr, Tönning, Pellworm, Hooge) and Baltic Sea coasts (Wismar, Rügen, Usedom, Swinemünde, Misdroy, Kiel area), plus inland waterways (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, Elbe, Eider). Core services include island/Hallig transport, harbor tours, seal watching, mudflat hiking, sea burial ceremonies at 19 ports, private charter of event vessels (MS KOI, MS Princess, MS Merkur II, Raddampfer Freya) for corporate events and weddings, group travel packages for 20+ persons, and combined tickets bundling ship passage with partner attractions.

Product overview

Adler-Schiffe operates as a maritime passenger shipping company offering excursion tours across the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts of Germany and Poland. The product portfolio comprises core ferry and excursion services (Schiffsausflüge) including island and hallig trips, harbor tours, seal watching, and mudflat hiking; a historic paddle steamer (Raddampfer Freya); private event charters (MS Princess, MS KOI); sea burial ceremony services (Seebestattungen) from 19 ports; and group travel packages. The fleet of approximately 26 passenger vessels operates from multiple departure ports spanning Sylt to Swinemünde. Key recent products include the fully electric MS Adler nature (2024) and ongoing tendering for electric propulsion (E-Antrieb) on newbuild vessels, demonstrating fleet modernization initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Adler-Schiffe Polska: Polish operations of Adler-Schiffe handling passenger ferry and excursion services from Swinemünde and Misdroy
• MS Zukunft Meer

Products and services

• Schiffsausflüge Nordsee (North Sea Excursions)

Quantifiable outcome

• First fully electric emissions-free passenger excursion ship on German North & Baltic Sea coasts — MS Adler nature in service since April 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei (W.D.R.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Adler-Schiffe charters the MS Adler Rüm Hart catamaran from Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei for use on the Dagebüll–Föhr–Amrum route. This provides Adler-Schiffe with additional high-speed capacity in the North Sea Wadden Sea network without owning the asset outright.
• Landesinitiative Zukunft Meer (Schleswig-Holstein MWVATT)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdler-Schiffe is a lead partner in the 'MS Zukunft Meer' initiative alongside the Landesinitiative Zukunft Meer and the Maritime Cluster Norddeutschland. The project aims to create a floating platform for maritime education, research, and technology demonstration. This is a flagship lighthouse project for Schleswig-Holstein's maritime economy, intended to showcase green propulsion (E/H2) and attract young talent to maritime professions.
• Maritimes Cluster NorddeutschlandflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinating partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project. Represents the broader maritime business network of northern Germany, facilitating collaboration between shipowners, yards, research institutions, and public bodies.
• Hochschule Flensburg (Maritimes Zentrum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, contributing maritime education and research expertise. Students and apprentices will use the ship as a learning platform for ship technology, navigation, maritime IT, and marine sciences.
• GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung KielcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, contributing expertise in oceanography, marine environment, and marine protection. The ship will serve as a platform for demonstrating marine science to students and the public.
• Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU Kiel)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, providing educational content and research collaboration for maritime geography, oceanography, and environmental science.
• Schutzstation Wattenmeer e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, contributing knowledge of Wadden Sea ecology and nature protection. Provides educational content on marine conservation for school groups visiting the ship.
• One Earth – One Ocean e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental NGO partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, contributing expertise on marine pollution and ocean conservation education.
• EUCC-D (Europäische Küstenunion Deutschland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoastal management NGO partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, contributing expertise on sustainable coastal use and coastal protection.
• Fachhochschule KielminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Applied Sciences partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, contributing to maritime IT, ship technology, and nautical education.
• Institut für Qualitätsentwicklung an Schulen S-H (IQ.SH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational quality institute partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, helping develop curriculum-aligned school programs for maritime career outreach.
• Schleswig-Holsteinische SeemannschuleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaritime vocational school partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, contributing to seafaring education and training content for the floating platform.
• Fachschule für Seefahrt FlensburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational seafaring school partner in the MS Zukunft Meer project, contributing nautical training expertise and facilitating student placements on the ship.
• 30+ Funeral Home Partners (Bestatter)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAdler-Schiffe works with over 30 German funeral homes (Bestatter) who refer clients seeking sea burial services. Partners include Anternia GmbH, Berger Bestattungen Hamburg, Bestattungshaus Bausch-Nowotne, Bestattungshaus Jannasch, and others. These partners handle the administrative and counseling side of funeral arrangements while Adler-Schiffe provides the vessel and ceremony.
• Seebestattungsreederei Apollo GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner reederei for sea burial services from Peenemünde. MS Nordland of Apollo GmbH is used for sea burials from this location, as Adler-Schiffe does not have a vessel stationed there.
• PHCOM InformatikcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides the reservation and booking system (buchung.adler-schiffe.de) used by Adler-Schiffe for online ticket sales and admin management. The system supports both customer-facing booking and internal agent/backend operations.
• 1&1 IONOS SEcoreTechnology or IntegrationWeb hosting provider for the Adler-Schiffe website (adler-schiffe.de and subdomains). IONOS operates servers in Germany and provides hosting services under a data processing agreement compliant with GDPR.
• CleverReach GmbH & Co. KGcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing service provider for Adler-Schiffe's newsletter. CleverReach handles subscription management, email delivery, and newsletter analytics (open rates, click rates). Data is stored on CleverReach servers in Germany/Ireland. A data processing agreement is in place.
• Otto-Eberhardt-Werft (Arnis an der Schlei)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerShipyard used for vessel refits and maintenance. MS Adler Vineta received a comprehensive renovation at this yard in 2010. The yard is described as the 'house yard' of Adler-Schiffe, indicating a close and long-standing working relationship.
• Adler & Eils GmbH & Co. KG (Büsum)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture entity formed from Adler-Schiffe and Reederei Cassen Eils for combined maritime-tourism operations in Büsum. Adler-Schiffe acquired Reederei Rahder (via German Fast Ferry GmbH & Co. KG) in January 2019, leading to this partnership.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Regional players

• BornholmerFærgen: Danish ferry operator serving Bornholm and routes in the southern Baltic Sea. Comparable passenger ferry business model in the Baltic region, though focused on different island destinations.
• TT-Line: German shipping company operating ferry services between Germany and Sweden primarily from Rostock and Travemünde. Comparable passenger ferry operator in the Baltic Sea region with overlapping operating geography.

Direct peers

• Halligreederei: Operator of ferry services to the Halligen islands in the North Sea Wadden Sea. Directly comparable in the niche North Sea Hallig ferry segment that Adler-Schiffe also serves from Nordstrand, Dagebüll, and other ports.
• Reederei Brauch: Hamburg-based operator of harbor tours and Elbe river excursions. Directly comparable sightseeing boat tour business model targeting German coastal/leisure tourism markets.
• Seebestattungsreederei Apollo GmbH: German sea burial service operator. Directly comparable in the Seebestattungen segment where Adler-Schiffe offers 19 locations; Apollo is a current partner for Peenemünde operations.
• Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei (W.D.R.): Föhr-based ferry operator serving the North Frisian islands including Föhr, Amrum, and Dagebüll. Direct competitor on Wadden Sea routes; current charter partner providing MS Adler Rüm Hart catamaran to Adler-Schiffe.
• Reederei Cassen Eils: Tönning-based passenger ferry and excursion operator in the North Sea/Wadden Sea region. Direct competitor on multiple routes and JV partner through Adler & Eils GmbH & Co. KG since 2019, providing the most direct comparability for the German coastal passenger shipping business model.
• Weisse Flotte: Various operators of the 'Weisse Flotte' brand offering harbor tours and sightseeing cruises across German coastal cities. Directly comparable in the sightseeing/day-cruise segment, particularly in Baltic Sea cities.

Broad incumbents

• Viking Line: Major Finnish-Swedish passenger ferry operator in the Baltic Sea. Comparable in maritime passenger services but operates at significantly larger scale with cruise-class vessels on longer international routes.
• Scandlines: Major ferry operator in the Baltic Sea between Germany and Denmark with broader international route network. Comparable in ferry/excursion category but operates at significantly larger scale on cross-border routes (Rødby–Puttgarden, Rostock–Gedser).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/adlerschiffe
• Xx.com/adlerschiffe

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adler-Schiffe