Burial at sea in Germany
How would a sea burial work in Germany?
The circumstances and imponderables up to the conditions.
For burial at sea – if not us as ebs ATuS GmbH – alternative bereavement and death support – then Deutsche See-Bestattungs-Genossenschaft e.G. (DSBG).
Meanwhile, it is a popular alternative to conventional cremation or earth burial.
The peace and power of the sea give many people comfort in coping with grief. This form of burial is no longer reserved for sailors and seafarers alone.
In addition, the costs for grave use and grave care are eliminated.
In the case of burial at sea, the ashes of the deceased are buried in a water-soluble urn in the sea.
Here you will learn more about:
- Seebestattungen nicht nur auf deutschen Meeren stattfinden können, sondern auch auf anderen Weltmeeren, z. B. dem Mittelmeer an der Costa Blanca in Spanien oder dem Atlantik. Sea burials can take place not only on German seas, but also on other oceans, e.g.dem the Mediterranean on the Costa Blanca in Spain or the Atlantic.
- es begleitete Seebestattungen und stille Seebestattungen ohne anwesende Angehörige gibt. there are accompanied burials at sea and silent burials at sea without relatives present.
- You need an exemption for a burial at sea, which exempts you from the cemetery obligation.
In the past, you could only be buried at sea if you had a special connection to the sea, e.g. through your profession. Today, burial at sea is open to everyone. In the case of urn burials at sea, however, some rules apply:
- Sea burials always take place at a distance of at least 3 nautical miles from the coast.
- The urn is buried on “rough ground”, i.e. on sea areas beyond the reach of fishermen and water sports enthusiasts.
- The sea urn is made of water-soluble material, e.g. cellulose or sandstone.
- Sea burials require a written declaration of intent, either from you or from your relatives.
Bestattungsschiffe fahren von den Küsten der Nord- oder Ostsee ab. Funeral ships depart from the coasts of the North Sea or Baltic Sea. Starting points include Sylt, Cuxhaven or Lübeck. Es steht Ihnen aber auch frei, die Urne in anderen Meeren beizusetzen, z. B. im Mittelmeer in Spanien an der Costa Blanca. However, you are also free to bury the urn in other seas, e.g. in the Mediterranean Sea in Spain on the Costa Blanca. You should discuss this in advance with the shipping company or the undertaker.
If you are planning a burial at sea, you should first hire a funeral home. It takes over the hygienic care of the deceased. This includes washing, combing and dressing. In addition, the undertaker arranges the cremation in the crematorium and takes over important administrative procedures on request.
The following prerequisites must be met for cremation:
- Unambiguous identification of the deceased
- Written declaration of intent of the deceased
- Proof of entry in the death register of the registry office
- Second post-mortem examination within 2 days
After cremation, the ash capsule is handed over to a shipping company specializing in sea burials. The largest shipping company for sea burials in Germany is the Deutsche See-Bestattungs-Genossenschaft e.G. (DSBG). It was founded in 1975 as a merger of several funeral homes. In the meantime, almost 400 companies have joined it. DSBG has three of its own ships with permanent crews on the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
Sea burials also require a written declaration of intent. If you want a sea burial for yourself, you should write a sea burial order during your lifetime. Templates for this are available free of charge on the Internet. In this way, you document your funeral wish for your relatives. Please note, however, that in the case of burials at sea, there is no fixed place of mourning that your bereaved can visit later.
For the permission of a sea burial you also need an exemption, which exempts from the cemetery obligation. It is issued by the municipality in which the home port of the funeral ship is located. The community requires a written justification for your burial request, e.g. a deep spiritual connection with the sea.
After cremation, the ash capsule is handed over to a shipping company that takes care of the burial. If the death occurred in southern Germany, you should plan longer travel times for the relatives and the transport of the deceased by sea.
Man unterscheidet begleitete Seebestattung und stille Seebestattungen. A distinction is made between accompanied sea burials and silent sea burials. In the case of the former, the bereaved are present at the urn burial at sea. Silent burials at sea always take place without the bereaved. Usually, the captain hands over several urns to the sea per voyage during the silent burial at sea.
In the case of accompanied burial at sea, the urn is placed and decorated inside the ship. First, the flag of the ship is set at half-mast. Afterwards, the captain will greet you on board and you will get an overview of the sea burial and its process. The ship now heads for the position of the funeral. When this is reached, 4 double beats of the ship’s bell sound. Together with the captain you bring the urn to the stern of the ship.
After the captain in naval uniform has given a speech, the urn is buried in the water. You are free to add individual flowers and petals to the sea. On the other hand, wreaths with bows, floral arrangements or personal belongings that are found again are prohibited.
At sea burials it is a ritual to put a memory stone into the water. Wishes and memories are expressed. Once the urn has been handed over to the sea, the ship takes a lap of honour around the sea grave.
Usually, a funeral service is part of a sea burial. It usually takes place on the ship, either before or after the urn burial. Most shipping companies offer sea burials for up to 50 mourners. If you plan with more people, a larger funeral service on land is recommended. At the urn burial on board, only the closest family circle participates. According to your wishes, you can accompany the celebration musically.
After the burial at sea, you will receive an excerpt from the ship’s diary and a nautical chart with the exact location of the burial from your funeral home. This is usually marked by a specific reference point on land, e.g. a lighthouse.
Usually, shipping companies offer annual memorial cruises to the burial sites. In most cases, you can also book individual souvenir trips at any time.
Langfristig gesehen ist eine Seebestattung günstiger als andere Bestattungsformen. In the long term, a sea burial is cheaper than other forms of burial. So there are no costs for the grave use, the gravestone and the grave care. Nevertheless, you must consider the following costs of a burial at sea:
- Administrative costs (death certificate and death certificate)
- Services of the undertaker
- Cost of cremation
- Cremation coffin and sea urn
- Shipping shipping company’s costs
The cost of an accompanied burial at sea can amount to several thousand euros. They vary depending on the provider. In addition, sea burials on the North Sea are usually more expensive than on the Baltic Sea. A silent burial at sea usually costs less.
In Germany, sea burials are carried out on the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. In the long term, they are cheaper than other types of burial. Burial in the sea can take place with or without the presence of relatives.
Eine Naturbestattung im Spanien (zur See, am Berg oder in der Luft) ist eine nachhaltig kostengünstigere Alternative. A natural burial in Spain (at sea, on the mountain or in the air) is a sustainably cheaper alternative.
This connects the bereaved with their loved ones in an impressive and meditative way.