German ferry operator FRS will acquire a majority stake in Bingen-Rüdesheimer Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (BRS), operator of the Bingen–Rüdesheim car ferry crossing and four Rhine day excursion ships.
FRS said the transaction brings its Rhine acquisitions since December 2024 to four and represents its move into excursion shipping on the river.
The group will maintain car ferry, scheduled passenger, and themed cruise services and keep all of its approximately 50 employees.
Oliver Pohl will remain as BRS’ Managing Director and will run the company jointly with Tim Kunstmann, Managing Director of the FRS Europe Division.
FRS said it intends to expand the scheduled and event cruise offering with the existing team. It will draw on its passenger operations elsewhere, including services to Helgoland and in Seattle.
The excursion ships serve 12 landing stages between Rüdesheim and St Goarshausen. Four of these are Lorch, Niederheimbach, St Goar and St Goarshausen, which are also the endpoints of two existing FRS crossings.
BRS additionally owns a landing stage in Mainz.
FRS's Rhine expansion began with the Ingelheim–Oestrich-Winkel ferry in December 2024. It was followed by the Loreley ferry between St Goar and St Goarshausen in January 2025 and the Lorch–Niederheimbach crossing in January 2026. Each of those deals included commitments to retain staff.
The Bingen–Rüdesheim crossing is operated by Mary Roos (pictured) and Rheintal, each with capacity for up to 42 cars and 600 passengers. Stadt Rüdesheim is kept in reserve.
The excursion fleet comprises the 60-metre Rhenus and Vater Rhein, each carrying 600 guests, along with Ehrenfels and Bingen. Together, the four ships can accommodate 2,300 passengers.