"Empty runs" occur when a ship travels from A to B with no passengers on board. This is unavoidable e.g. on a shuttle ride. When the boat has dropped off all guests at the destination, it has to return empty to the home port. We therefore advise, if possible, to start and finish journeys in the home port in order to avoid such costs. Empty runs cost less per hour than the actual boat tour with passengers on board, but there may be additional costs for the external docking. These are the costs that the owner of a jetty charges in order to dock there. These costs are usually significantly higher than in the home port of the boat. Example: You want to take a ship (for example Ian Fraser) from Rummelsburger-Bucht (home port of the boat) to Potsdam and get off there (one way). This is a very long distance on the water and can take up to 6 hours to drive. So there would be costs for the journey with guests, the pier in Potsdam and the six-hour empty journey back to the home port.