A Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt (waterways and shipping authority; abbreviated WSA) is a German federal agency, responsible for the administration of federal navigable waters and for the regulation of vessel traffic.
The seventeen offices (plural: Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsämter, abbr.
WSÄ) are supervised by the national Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV – Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration) and accountable to the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.
In total the offices cover 23,000 km2 of maritime waters and 7,350 km of inland waterways.
For example, WSA Elbe covers the river Elbe from the border of Czech Republic until Hamburg together with tributaries and the Elbe-Lübeck Canal;[3] WSA Main covers the navigable German federal waterway Main.