The association “Deutscher Fährschiffahrtsverein e.V”, (The German Ferry Shipping Club – abbreviated to DFV) was established in 1994 and is the first and only German community that is specially interested in ferries, ro/ro’s and passenger ships. With approximately 375 members in Germany and abroad we belong to the largest shipping clubs in the country and offer competent contact partners when it comes to the history and latest news from the ferry and cruise shipping scene.

Ferries are floating bridges between people and enable trade and transportation. Ferries are not just a means of travel but often an interruption of the trip. In the last 150 years the specialised type of ships, the ferry, has emerged as one of the most important ship types. From the early days of ferry shipping with very basic and simple vessels, ferries have developed to modern, complex and sometimes very luxurious vehicles.

The DFV focuses on the modern times of ferry and passenger shipping and is both a circle of friends of many interested in ferries and also a group of marine friends who contribute to research into the history of this type of transport.

We would be very pleased to welcome you as a member in our ranks and hope you enjoy using our website.

As our members predominantly speak German or come from German speaking countries, all our services and our quarterly publication as well as our internal pdf-newsletter “DFV intern” are in German only. But please don’t be afraid to contact us in English.