For this purpose the Donau Transport und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, via donau for short, was founded upon the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Transport two years ago. According to its managing director Manfred Seitz, via donau is concerned with the implementation of targets relating to traffic, technology and economy. The focus of its activities are innovative logistical and technological projects to improve water cargo management, which shall be developed in close cooperation with the economy in general and the transport industry in particular.

A positive result already in the first year

After one year "in the business" Manfred Seitz is able to strike an extremely positive balance for the company owned to 100 percent by the Austrian state. Thus, the company has fulfilled its role in accordance with the company aims as "one-stop-shop" in the race for finding subsidies for various Danube projects. via donau has not only established contacts to national backers, but is also striving to nibble from EU pots. And these were and are well filled!

Thus, about € 2,91 million are presently available for the promotion of innovative transport concepts in relation to the Danube, of which alone € 1,89 million are waiting to be granted in the frame of the model project "also Danube", which has been on for six months now. In addition to the support given in the "cracking" of these subsidy pots, via donau also offers consulting and management services, technical and organisational help and information services. With all these services taken together, Seitz and his crew of employees and freelancers were able to achieve a turnover of
€ 0,15 million last year. In the current year the company shall become financially self-supporting by initiating new projects. Thus, via donau is acting as coordinator for the Danube region in the frame of the project "Poseidon".

This project shall create an efficient network of ports for intermodal cargo transshipment. Involved are eight partners of seven countries. The value of the project amounts to more than € 582,000. via donau is also involved in the project "Compris" – the final element in the installation of the River Information System (RIS) in Europe – for which the company is under discussion as Austrian coordinator. Involved in this project are a total of 64 partners from 12 countries, with Austrian companies having a project share of more than € 900,000.

High tech for the Austrian Danube

By the end of March of this year, via donau issued a tender for the setting up of a telematics system ("River Information Services") for the Austrian section of the Danube. This system shall improve the safety and efficiency of navigation. The core of this project is the equipment of vessels with AIS-transponder systems, which communicate among each other as well as with a shore-side infrastructure. The main goal of the "River Information Services" is to provide online traffic information in order to support authorities in the execution of their sovereign functions (e.g. traffic information, lock management), as well as nautic manoeuvres of skippers. In project phase 1, a test system will be installed on the Danube between Greifenstein and Freudenau. In the next step the system will be set up on the entire Austrian Danube. Seitz is confident that the project will be tackled by the beginning of this fall, if everything goes according to plan.

Companies wanting to participate in the River Information Services should get in contact with the Trust Consult Unternehmensberatung in Vienna, which is acting as executive agent for the tender to be put up.
(Source: aqua press Int. 2/2001)
Josef Müller

Information & Contact:

via donau (Donau Transport Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH)
Donau-City-Strasse 1
A-1220 Vienna
Tel. +43 1 595-48 96
Fax +43 1 595 48-96 19

Trust Consult
Unternehmensberatungs GmbH
Lothringerstrasse 16
A–1030 Vienna
Tel. +43 1 712 17 07-323
Fax +43 1 712 17 07-199