Baltic Sea Report 2026: Berth shortage on the Baltic Sea - boxes are still available here

We contacted more than 200 harbours in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in order to record the situation at the jetties on the Baltic Sea. In the end, 83 businesses provided us with a detailed database - from small clubs to large commercial marinas.

Contradictory balance sheet

The bottom line is that there are more free permanent berths along the coast again. In our survey, the number of available berths climbed from 419 in the previous year to 486 for the 2026 season. This may sound like a relief, but it hardly matches the experience of many owners who often spend months looking for a suitable berth for their boat.

In fact, many ports, especially in the western Baltic Sea, are still 100 per cent full and the waiting lists are correspondingly long. This contradiction runs through the entire survey: over half of the marinas surveyed reported that they were already "fully booked" for the new season, although more free capacity was reported than in 2025.

This is simply because the new berths have only been created in a few harbours. In the majority of harbours, especially in Schleswig-Holstein, almost everything remains fully booked.

The results of the YACHT survey in detail:

Regional price differences

In addition to capacity, the survey also shows that the cost of a berth can vary greatly from region to region. For example, a berth in a marina can be significantly more expensive than a comparable berth in a nearby natural harbour. The range here can sometimes be between 20 and 70 euros per square metre. For a 12-metre yacht, this can make a difference of up to 1,750 euros per year. This also applies to guest berths. Here, too, there is a wide range of prices. They range from 14 to 40 euros per night.

More about the mooring situation on the Baltic Sea:

• Test of patience in SH - harbours almost completely full
• There is still room in MV - but not on every jetty
• Mr Stahlhut, is the big rush on the footbridges over?
• Baltic Sea ports under pressure - full capacity utilisation in Kiel

This is partly due to the fact that maintenance costs for jetties and sanitary facilities are also higher, especially for large marinas, which tend to be more expensive. The economic success of marinas is therefore increasingly dependent on a stable mixed calculation in which services on land have to compensate for the deficit in the water.

The prices for berths in detail:

Infrastructure and service

In theory, the Baltic Sea harbours offer sufficient options in terms of facilities. With an average box width of 4.80 metres and an average water depth of 2.60 metres, most cruising yachts should have no problem finding a box in the majority of ports. The same applies to the maximum boat length, which offers sufficient space at an average of 16 metres.

More on the topic:

• Baltic Sea tips The 10 most beautiful city harbours - worth an overnight stay here
• Baltic Sea tips: In the midst of unspoilt nature - 10 idyllic natural harbours

According to our data, the infrastructure is also well developed along the entire German Baltic coast. Almost three quarters of the ports (74.7%) have a mast crane and 87 per cent offer food facilities within easy reach. The situation is different when it comes to digitalisation: Less than half of all the harbours we surveyed (41%) have a ticket machine in operation, and there is still room for improvement here. There are also differences in the calculation of ancillary costs: While fresh water (81.0%) and shore power (78.5%) are usually included in the mooring fee, sailors have to pay extra for the use of sanitary facilities in almost one in three harbours (31.6%).