The coast guard of Germany (German: Koordinierungsverbund Küstenwache) is an association of a number of federal agencies. It is not a single entity, like the coast guards of other countries, for instance the United States Coast Guard. Its prime tasks are border protection, maritime environmental protection, shipping safety, fishery protection and customs enforcement. A coast guard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. ... USCG HH-65 Dolphin USCG HH-60J JayHawk USCG HC-130H departs Mojave USCG HC-130H on International Ice Patrol duties The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is at all times a branch of the U.S. military, a maritime law enforcement agency, and a federal regulatory body. ...

The agencies that comprise the Küstenwache have a common plan of action and direct their operations from two Coast Guard Centers (German: Küstenwachzentren), Neustadt (Holstein) for the Baltic Sea and Cuxhaven for the North Sea. For other uses, see Baltic (disambiguation). ... Cuxhaven beach at sunset Cuxhaven is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, with about 55000 inhabitants. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...

Structure and responsibilities

multi-purpose vessel Arkona

Coast guard ship Meerkatze

Units and personnel from these federal ministries and agencies form the coast guard: Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 468 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,280 × 748 pixels, file size: 288 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Beschreibung: Mehrzweckschiff Arkona auf der Hanse Sail 2005 Typ: Schadstoffunfall-Bekämpfungsschiff Bauwerft: Peene-Werft GmbH, Wolgast Länge / Breite / Tiefgang: 69,05 m / 14... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 468 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,280 × 748 pixels, file size: 288 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Beschreibung: Mehrzweckschiff Arkona auf der Hanse Sail 2005 Typ: Schadstoffunfall-Bekämpfungsschiff Bauwerft: Peene-Werft GmbH, Wolgast Länge / Breite / Tiefgang: 69,05 m / 14... Cape Arkona is a cape on the island of Rügen in Germany. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 487 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,543 × 940 pixels, file size: 909 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 487 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,543 × 940 pixels, file size: 909 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

• Bundespolizei / Federal Police (Ministry of the Interior)
• Waterways and Shipping Offices (Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration [WSV] / Federal Ministry for Traffic, Construction and City Development)
• Wasserzoll / Waterways Customs Office (Federal Customs Administration / Federal Ministry of Finance)
• Federal Agency for Agriculture and Nutrition [BLE] (Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture)

Bundespolizei or BPol for short, is the Federal Police of Germany. ... Federal police agencies are responsible for the enforcement of federal laws in countries with a federal constitution. ... The Federal Ministry of Finance (German: Bundesministerium der Finanzen is part of the German federal government and is responsible for managing the federal budget. ... The Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection is a ministry in Germany. ...

Coast guard personnel

The personnel serving with the Küstenwache are policemen (in case of the Bundespolizei and Wasserzoll) as well as civilians from the Waterways and Shipping Offices and the federal agencies. They do not have combatant status like United States Coast Guard personnel. However, police officers serving with the coast guard retain their usual powers, adjusted to the maritime nature of their job. Bundespolizei or BPol for short, is the Federal Police of Germany. ... A combatant is a person who takes a direct part in the hostilities of an armed conflict who upon capture qualifies for prisoner of war under the Third Geneva Convention (GCIII). ... USCG HH-65 Dolphin USCG HH-60J JayHawk USCG HC-130H departs Mojave USCG HC-130H on International Ice Patrol duties The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is at all times a branch of the U.S. military, a maritime law enforcement agency, and a federal regulatory body. ...

Ships and other vehicles of the German Coast Guard

The new customs cruiser Glückstadt

German Federal Police BP21 Bredstedt

Numerous ships and boats from the aforementioned institutions (Bundespolizei: six ships; Wasserzoll: eight coustoms cutters, four customs cruisers; WSV: three seafit multi-purpose ships; BLE: three fishery protection boats, three fishery research ships) are in use, 27 ships in total. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (819 × 614 pixels, file size: 208 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Der neue Zollkreuzer Glückstadt, Glückstadt 3. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (819 × 614 pixels, file size: 208 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Der neue Zollkreuzer Glückstadt, Glückstadt 3. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 391 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 501 pixel, file size: 157 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Beschreibung: Schiff Bredstedt der Bundespolizei / Küstenwache Fotograf: Darkone, 13. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 391 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 501 pixel, file size: 157 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Beschreibung: Schiff Bredstedt der Bundespolizei / Küstenwache Fotograf: Darkone, 13. ... Bundespolizei or BPol for short, is the Federal Police of Germany. ...

The ships are all marked with the letting "Küstenwache" as well as a black-red-gold signet on the hull and the coast guard's coat-of-arms; however, the hull colour differs from agency to agency: blue for the Bundespolizei, green for the Wasserzoll and black for the WSV. The flag of Germany is a tricolour, consisting of three equal horizontal bands coloured (from top to bottom) black, red, and gold. ... A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short), in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people) and used by them in a wide variety of ways. ...

A number of helicopters and planes are in use as well.

Ships include the following:

• BP17 Bayreuth
• BP21 Bredstedt
• BP22 Neustrelitz
• MS Hiddensee
• MS Priwall
• MS Kalkgrund
• FSB Seeadler
• Hamburg
• Meerkatze
• SUBS Mellum

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Küstenwache

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

See also

• Law enforcement in Germany
• Policing in Germany
• German Navy

Chief police officer (Polizeihauptmeister mit Amtszulage) in Hamburg wearing the new blue uniform Patrol car of the Saarland Police with old white-green livery New silver-blue police car in Hamburg Law enforcement in Germany is divided between the different levels of federalism: the federal level (Bund) and the state... Patrol car of the Saarland Police with old white-green painting New silver-blue police car in Hamburg Germany is a federal republic of sixteen states. ... German frigate Karlsruhe rescuing shipwrecked people off the coast of Somalia while participating in the international anti-terror operation ENDURING FREEDOM, April 2005 The Laboe Naval Memorial for sailors who lost their lives at sea during the World Wars and while on duty at sea and U 995 Modern air...

External links

• Official website (German)