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Tradition meets the future – the history of ferries on the Rhine
Welcome to FRS
FRS GmbH & Co. KG, based in Flensburg, is an internationally operating company with German roots - founded from the traditional Förde Reederei GmbH (1935) and KG Seetouristik (1958). What once began as a regional passenger shipping company has developed into a globally active shipping group.
Today, FRS has over 1,500 employees worldwide, operates ferry services on several continents and transports around 5.7 million passengers and 1.5 million vehicles every year. Through our subsidiaries, we operate both conventional ferries and modern fast ferries in Europe, North America and the Caribbean.
Reliable, experienced and innovative - FRS connects people and places across the water.
FRS Rheinfähren Ingelheim-Oestrich-Winkel - Welcome to the family
The Maul Rhine ferry has been reliably transporting people, bicycles and vehicles between Ingelheim and Oestrich-Winkel for over 50 years. But the history of the Maul ferryman family goes back much further - to the time of the traditional “Ferger” in Rüdesheim am Rhein.
The roots of the Maul family lie in picturesque Rüdesheim, where the name appears early on in the boatmen's registers. As members of the Ferger Guild, the Mauls have been an integral part of the local ferry business for generations - a tradition that is carried on with great passion by Fährhaus Maul. Then as now, the name Maul stands for reliability, proximity to the region and genuine Rhine romance. In this context, tradition meets the future in the continued operation and development of Rhine ferry services.
The ferry has been part of the FRS family since 2025 and is delighted to continue the ferry trade and the tradition of ferry operation at this point on the Rhine.
FRS Fähre Loreley - A short excursion into a long tradition
Over the centuries, the ferry service developed steadily. The introduction of the “flying bridge” was a significant step forward: Two large barges were connected to a platform and, anchored to a chain, shuttled between the banks.
And even today, there is still a ferry connection at this point in the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley, which has been linking the towns of St. Goar and St. Goarshausen for decades - reliably, safely and in all weathers. But there is much more to this daily crossing than pure functionality: the Loreley ferry is a piece of living infrastructure history in one of the most challenging river regions in Europe.
The topography of the Middle Rhine Valley with its narrow river bends, changing current conditions and steep banks has always posed particular challenges for ferry operations. The design and control of the ferry has always had to be adapted to the local conditions - for example with special drive systems and flow-optimized technology. The number of passengers and transported goods on both sides of the shore also influenced the development and equipment of the ferry.
