No more cabotage approvals necessary
As of now, the previously required cabotage approval for operating non-EU-flagged ships within German coastal waters is void. The reason for this is that the German "Bürokratieentlastungsverordnung" (bureaucracy relief ordiance) has entered into force.
So far, shipping companies needed an approval by the Generaldirektion Wasserstraßen und Schifffahrt (GDWS) for cabotage voyages of their ships that do not fly an EU flag (Norway excluded). Cabotage means the fee-based carriage of persons or goods with ships under foreign flag from one place to another in coastal waters within German territory (12 nm area).
The requirement for cabotage approvals has been void since the "Bürokratieentlastungsverordnung" has entered into force on 14 December 2024. This legal instrument repeals the previous "Verordnung über die Küstenschifffahrt (KüSchV)" which formed the basis for cabotage approvals.