The agency can be traced back to Norddeutsche Seewarte (North German Naval Observatory), founded in 1867 by Wilhelm von Freeden, which issued individual sailing directions based on nautical and meteorological observations as early as 1868.

At the same time, the Seehydrographischer Dienst [Maritime Hydrographical Service] of East Germany which was part of the People's Navy was taken over.

The head office of Federal Bureau for Maritime Casualty Investigation is in the BSH facility.

[4][5] The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency maintains a fleet of five survey vessels as of 2013.

[7] According to its own accounts, the BSH's library hosts the world's largest known collection of messages in a bottle amounting to 660 items.