Baltic Sea harbours 2026: More berths in the east - but not everywhere

YACHT wrote to more than 200 harbours and marinas along the German Baltic Sea coast for a berth report. 38 marinas from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern provided detailed feedback on their current mooring situation.

The result: although there are significantly more free berths overall than in Schleswig-Holstein, they are distributed unevenly. A few large marinas have plenty of capacity, while numerous smaller ports - similar to the neighbouring federal state - are fully booked.

Uneven distribution due to hotspots

Specific hotspots have emerged: five large facilities account for almost 35 per cent of all available capacity. In Schleswig-Holstein, on the other hand, the five largest ports only account for 25 per cent. The berths in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are therefore more concentrated in fewer locations than in the neighbouring state to the west.

More about the mooring situation on the Baltic Sea:

• Moorings on the Baltic Sea: Mr Stahlhut, is the all-clear for the jetties?
• Berths on the Baltic Sea: Ports under pressure despite full capacity utilisation - the situation in Kiel
• Sailors can still find free berths here

For those travelling through, the tight situation with permanent berths plays a rather subordinate role, as the number of guest berths is higher overall. Crews travelling through usually have no problem finding a berth. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, there is an average of 33 free guest berths per harbour, while in Schleswig-Holstein there are only ten.

But here, too, the statistics distort the picture. A few outliers drive the average upwards - a few harbours account for the majority of free capacity. Skippers should therefore find out about available guest berths in advance.

Price calculation at the Baltic Sea

The generally more relaxed market situation in the east is reflected above all in the prices. For a twelve-metre yacht as a guest berth, an average of 23 euros per night is charged in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - two euros less than in Schleswig-Holstein.

The difference is more pronounced for permanent moorings: In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, boat owners pay an average of 38 euros per square metre, compared to 44.50 euros in Schleswig-Holstein. For a 12-metre yacht with around 35 square metres of floor space, the difference adds up to 225 euros per year.

Price comparison - How SH and MV differ:

Especially in large facilities in maritime conurbations and on popular holiday islands, prices are often higher than in quieter inland areas. Another decisive factor is the services, which can vary considerably from harbour to harbour.