New customs boat Friesland ceremoniously delivered – praise for Peene shipyard!

New customs boat Friesland ceremoniously delivered – praise for Peene shipyard!

An important milestone in maritime security will be celebrated on November 10, 2025. German customs has received three new boats that are specifically designed to control cross-border goods traffic. These ocean-going boats, which are made of robust aluminum, measure an impressive 55 meters in length and are equipped with a modern LNG propulsion system that enables speeds and ranges of up to 600 nautical miles. Particularly outstanding is the third boat in this series, the “Friesland”, which is successfully celebrating its completion today in the Wolgaster Peene shipyard.

Vice Chancellor and Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig had the honor of witnessing the completion of these impressive ships. “With these boats we are ideally prepared for the challenges of the future,” said Klingbeil approvingly. Prime Minister Schwesig, herself a former customs investigator, praised the exceptional capabilities of the Peene shipyard and highlighted its performance and competitiveness.

Investment in security

The construction of the three customs boats was decided in December 2021 and the total costs add up to around 150 million euros. This investment is intended not only to increase safety in German waters, but also to include medical treatment capacities and means of external firefighting. In addition, the boats can also be used as tugboats, increasing their versatility.

Harald Jaekel, managing director of the Peene shipyard, described the construction as a special challenge, which his shipyard mastered with flying colors. “We have shown a good hand in developing these ultra-modern boats,” says Jaekel. These boats will play a central role in monitoring international trade in the future and are therefore also of great importance in the fight against illegal activities.

A look at customs regulations

But measures to improve safety are not only being taken on the water. In the interests of better control of the movement of goods, the Nomenclatura Comum do Mercosul (NCM) is also breaking new ground. This system of categorizing goods, which has been in use in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay since 1995, also promotes transparency in international trade. The NCM is based on the World Customs Organization's Harmonized System and helps to accurately set tax rates for foreign trade.

With over 10,000 specific codes, the so-called “Códigos NCM”, the NCM system allows precise classification of goods, which is of great importance for customs authorities. Not only can the flow of goods be better monitored, but the protection of domestic markets can also be strengthened.

These developments are an important step into the future of customs and trade controls. The new customs boats and advanced classification systems show that no effort is being spared, both at sea and on land, to increase security and make international trade smoother.

With these innovations, Germany is ensuring that it is at the forefront of combating smuggling and illegal trade and that it is effectively protecting its borders.

For more information on the completion of the boats you can read the article in the Baltic Sea newspaper read up. You can also find out more about the Nomenclatura Comum do Mercosul on the official website.