FRS expands its commitment on the Rhine: Takeover of the traditional Loreley ferry line

 

‘We are delighted to be taking over such a historic ferry route with a history of over 500 years at the internationally renowned destination of Loreley and to be able to continue the Hammerl family's business,’ explains Tim Kunstmann, Managing Director of the FRS Europe Division. ‘Our aim is to continue the ferry service just as reliably as before and at the same time to optimally position it for the challenges of the coming decades.’

Fähre Loreley will remain under the proven management of the previous Managing Director Simon Lanius, who will continue to lead the company reliably into the future together with FRS. All of the company's employees will be taken on and the ferry service will continue seamlessly. ‘We value the region and see great potential for further development here. The Loreley ferry is an important part of the infrastructure on the Middle Rhine,’ emphasises Kunstmann.

The company is sending out a clear signal with its second takeover on the Middle Rhine in a short space of time: ‘This takeover is a further step in our long-term commitment to the Rhine and the region. In addition to the potential, we also see the takeover as a great responsibility to secure important infrastructure for the people and tourists in the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley,’ says Kunstmann.

Family business hands over to family business
The Loreley ferry looks back on over 230 years of family history, during which the company has always successfully mastered all challenges and ensured a reliable ferry connection directly on the Loreley. It is an important element of the infrastructure and a tourist attraction, as well as an inseparable part of the cultural identity of this unique cultural landscape. With the takeover, FRS is continuing this tradition.

Klaus Hammerl, who has managed the ferry line for the last few decades, believes that the future of the family business is in the best hands: ‘FRS is itself a traditional family business and will ensure its continued existence and master the challenges of the future for our ferry line. In addition to size and experience, FRS also has the DNA of a ferry operator, without which a sustainable commitment is not possible. I am particularly pleased that the current Managing Director Simon Lanius will continue to develop the company together with FRS.’

About FRS
The FRS Reederei Group, based in Flensburg, has developed over the past 150 years from a regional passenger ship shipping company into an internationally active group of companies with over 1,500 employees. FRS operates 70 ships worldwide. Today, the portfolio of the FRS Group, which is based in northern Germany, includes 14 operating subsidiaries based in Europe, North America and the Caribbean. In northern Germany, FRS is one of the main forces in the inland waterway transport sector. The Elbe ferry Glückstadt-Wischhafen, one of the most important infrastructure ferry lines in the region, connects Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony all year round with four car ferries every 30 minutes. FRS also has extensive expertise in inland shipping with the White Fleet in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which offers trips around Rügen and Rostock. FRS also operates various solar electric ferries in Berlin and has the ‘Hydrocat 55’, the world's first dual-fuel hydrogen CTV in the offshore wind sector, in operation. The broad positioning and international presence of the FRS Group emphasise its importance as a leading provider of shipping connections worldwide.

 

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Press contact:
FRS Europe Division GmbH
Norderhofenden 19-20, 24937 Flensburg
Tim Kunstmann
E-mail: [email protected]