The main focus of the DSM's research and exhibition program is on the use of ships in the context of marine economy, maritime research, or of changes in the environment. All the ideas and material belonging to these broad themes can be found in the museum: from models of ships to weapons and marine charts as well as personal testimonies, photos and more. The objects and sources form the beginning point of historical perspectives on the links between maritime history, archeology and related practices, through invention, use, research and reflection on marine technologies.
With its thematic focus including a global historical perspective, the DSM exhibits an emphasis on innovative, national and international scholarship. In addition, as part of its cooperative research and exhibitions the DSM combines its own scholarship with two significant research priorities of the federal state Bremen, the sea and the social sciences. The new exhibition program, to be successively implemented in three steps – beginning in winter of 2016/17 – will convey the latest findings in these fields to the broader public. The location of the DSM between the estuary of the Weser and the oldest port area of the city places its historical perspective directly within and is shaped by the lively maritime culture of Bremerhaven.
The museum is currently being renovated. In July 2024, the new permanent exhibition “ Ship Realms – The Ocean and Us” was officially opened in the Bangert Building. The new exhibition invites guests to experience the world from the perspective of the sea and gain a new understanding of the connections between humans and the ocean. The heart of the Cog Hall remains the restored wreck from the year 1380. The Scharoun Building is currently still being renovated.