Germany BSH News

Germany BSH Annual Press Conference 2026: Offshore Wind, Maritime Navigation, and Safety

Germany's BSH held its 2026 annual press conference highlighting offshore wind expansion targets of 10.2 GW currently installed, with a 40 GW interim target for 2035 (projected to be reached in 2034 with ~42 GW) and 70 GW by 2045. A Denmark-Germany agreement for 2 GW of cross-border offshore wind was signed at the January 2026 North Sea Summit. The IMO MASS-Code for autonomous vessels is planned for adoption in May 2026. BSH also reported increasing satellite navigation disruptions in the Baltic Sea and provided an update on the OceanEye initiative (€50M for global ocean observation) and Germany's participation in the Argo program (funding 300 of 4,000 global floats).

BSH 2025 Annual Report Released, Digital Navigation Focus

BSH has released its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting the official beginning of the IHO S-100 standard implementation for digital nautical charts in early 2026, which the agency describes as revolutionising maritime navigation. The report also commemorates BSH's 35th anniversary on 3 October, marking 35 years of German unity with a celebratory event including an open day and ship tours. Additional topics covered include the MoBo monitoring buoy deployed in the North Sea from September 2025, sea surface temperatures in the North and Baltic Seas, and offshore wind energy developments.

Dutch North Sea Programme 2028-2033 Cross-Border Participation Notice Under Espoo Convention

BSH published a notice on 13 April 2026 initiating Germany's cross-border participation in the Dutch North Sea Programme 2028-2033 scoping process, pursuant to Article 10 of the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context. Scoping documents and participation plans are available on the BSH website from 13 April through 11 May 2026, with physical copies accessible at BSH libraries in Hamburg and Rostock during business hours. Comments on the scoping documents must be submitted to the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and Water Management by 11 May 2026, or alternatively to BSH by 8 May 2026.