Author: mb

Rainer Pinnow is usually on duty for DTG with his motor vessel Moira. Yet, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary celebration of “Ehrmann’s Almighurt”, a joghurt speciality of the nationally renowned Bavarian dairy company, he has converted his ship and is currently on tour event on the rivers Rhine and Main.

The complete conversion of the vessel took almost six weeks, including both the exterior and the cargo area. Among others, 120 tons of material were installed and almost 5 km of cable laid to make it shine in typical Bavarian splendour.

The events at the various stops are open to the public and an experience you don’t want to miss. There will be live music by the band “Happy Bavarians”, typical Bavarian food, games, raffles, and worth knowing about the Allgäu region and the agriculture. Everybody can enjoy himself and have a good time on deck or in the inboard dining area.

More photos and information about the tour, which will cease on 13th August 2014 in Kehl, can be found at www.ms-moira.online.de and at www.almighurt.de.

On 28th June 2014, DTG and TGB held their annual general assembly at the Congress Centre of the Maritim Hotel Bremen. More than half of the active members were there, and there certainly would have been even more if some hadn’t had to meet loading or unloading deadlines.

Under the direction of Chairman Reinhold Scheermann, board members Matthias Bunger and Roberto Spranzi reported on the 2013 business development of both cooperatives. Then, questions of the members were answered by the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board.

After completion of the official part, members and their families, staff, and board of cooperatives met for the traditional evening event. Due to the high number of participants, the hall, initially considered as too large, was quickly filled. Wii and foosball were available for the kids in a separate play area while grown-ups were dancing the night away – depending on talent and stamina – to the music of the “Ingrid-Schwarz-Band”. Later, all guests were staggered by the legerdemains of magician David Lavé. Quite a number of cheerful “expert discussions” did not finish until the small hours.

We would like to give our warm thanks to the team of the Maritim Hotel Bremen, to the “Ingrid-Schwarz-Band” and to David Lavé.

Our special thanks go to our members and their families. We look forward to seeing you again alive and kicking at next year’s reunion in Münster.

Some changes are essential. This is why DTG will change to a new telephone provider. Yet, despite all planning and coordination, problems of accessibility may arise during this process. As of June 30, 2014, all our branches will be successively switched to the new provider and it may take up to three weeks until a flawless communication is possible in our singe branches.
So if we are not available via the usual landline, just look for the mobile number of your DTG contact in our website.
We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to your call, mobile or landline.

As a border and unifying element, the River Rhine has always been a symbol of Franco-German relationship. Thus, it was selected by the Bonn artist Hannah Schneider as a motive for her film “arpenter le rhin/bäuchlings auf dem Rhein” (“measuring the Rhine”). The shooting took place on board the MS Hartenfels, a DTG fleet ship.
Last year, Hannah Schneider received the art award contemporary 2013 by two Rotary Clubs, Bonn and Strasbourg, for her complete works. This award, presented in 2014 in the context of Franco-German friendship, is aimed at young artists under the age of 35. Three exhibitions frame the award ceremony: while in the first exhibition venue, Bonn, Rhine sand was the defining element, a movie on board the MS Hartenfels has now resulted for the follow-up exhibition in Strasbourg. “The idea to make the film on a cargo ship originated while studying the Rhine as a connecting element between both countries, and the venues themselves,” says 30-year-old Schneider. Via DTG, contact was made with Bernd Hink, owner of the 82 metre long and 8.2 metre wide MS Hartenfels. And it was rather easy for Schneider to convince Hink of her art project: “We are accustomed to quite some hustle and bustle aboard. After all, the vessel has been serving as a scene for various reports for the German television stations ZDF, WDR, and VOX.” Reporters, too, have stayed several times on this historic ship built in 1927. The project had a good start.

Premiere in Strasbourg
The film premiere, which was accompanied by an organ improvisation, took place in the church Temple Neuf in Strasbourg on April 24, 2014 – unfortunately, without captain Hink, who is a full time boatman. The third exhibition station for Hannah Schneider will soon be Saint-Louis in Alsace. She won’t tell what she has exactly planned for this event, but should a cargo ship play any role… DTG will certainly be collaborative.

Tobias Engels, who has completed his training from 1998 to 2001 with the former Haniel Reederei GmbH in Duisburg and worked with the successor companies until he quitted, is no unknown quantity in inland navigation. With only 33 years of age, he enjoys a very good reputation in the industry and among shippers due to his expertise and excellent communication skills as a dispatcher and account manager.

We would like to welcome Tobias Engels and look forward to his active support as a member of our dedicated team.

There is nothing really special about a 10th anniversary of employment. Yet, a 50th anniversary is quite another thing – who can look back on 50 years of service for one company? Our staff member Wilfried Neynes does. In order to honour him, DTG organized a small party at the cult café “Kaldi” in Duisburg-Ruhrort on 4th April 2014. This place (formerly known as the pub “Zum Anker”) is well-known to all fans of the German TV crime series “Tatort”: several scenes of the very first episode with the meaningful title “Ruhrort” were shot here, starring Götz George alias Horst Schimanski. With great attention to detail, the present managers have succeeded in preserving the memories, as well as some souvenirs of these good old times.

On 1st April 2014, Sebastian Werner was granted power of attorney.

From August 2005 to May 2008, Werner completed his training as forwarding merchant with the Imperial Reederei u. Spedition in Duisburg where he then worked as a dispatcher until 31st December 2010, thus gaining relevant practical experience.

As he moved to the far North of Germany for private reasons, 29-year-old Werner not only changed his place of residence on 1st January 2011 but he also started his new job with our dispatch department of the DTG office in Hamburg.

With his appointment to an authorized representative, we would like to acknowledge Sebastian Werner’s excellent performance.

On 20th March 2014, the two board members of DTG, Roberto Spranzi and Matthias Bunger, took part in a joint parliamentary evening on the issue of Shipping and Ports Policy in the 18th Legislative Period in Berlin, conducted by the Bundesverband der Deutschen Binnenschifffahrt e.V. (BBD, German Federal Association of Inland Water Transportation) and the Bundesverband Öffentlicher Binnenhäfen e.V. (BÖB, German Federal Association of Public River Ports). The highest ranking visitor to the event was German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

Addressing about 200 guests, the Minister pointed out the prominent role inland navigation is going to take within the next four years, for example in the advancement of the future Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan. That is why Federal Government directs targeted support to the inland navigation industry, like financing the Duisburg training ship Rhein. In addition, 350 million euros will be invested in inland waterways. BDB president Georg Hötte and the Minister agreed that well-constructed waterways are essential for shipping to develop its full potential.

The BDB President invited Alexander Dobrindt to Duisburg to present the training centre for German inland navigation to him. On that occasion, the Minister may as well test his skills for navigating a barge in a shallow water driving simulator.

On 1st April 2014, we gave a welcome to our new staff member Stefan Pohl.

47-year-old Pohl is a trained boatman. Amongst others, he has already worked as a skipper. In parallel, he has completed a training as a certified insurance agent and spent a long time working as an insurance broker.

Both key areas of his previous professional life provide the best conditions for his new field of activity with DTG. Alongside Wilfried Neynes, Pohl will first take over the technical service and later become his successor. Pohl’s main tasks will include insurance processing, quality management, and member support.

We look forward to a good and pleasant cooperation.

Reason No. 1: Our loyal and reliable employee Wilfried Neynes celebrated his 50th anniversary of employment on 1st April 2014 (no kidding!).

Reason No. 2: On 6th February 2014, he celebrated his 65th birthday.

Reason No. 3: On 30th June 2014, he will be departing into well-earned retirement alive and kicking.

On 1st April 1964, Neynes started his training as a forwarding merchant with the boatman company association Jus et Justitia (SBV) in Duisburg-Ruhrort. He was then taken over as a clerk in the freight invoicing department and later worked as head of the tug invoicing department.

In 1972, he joined the economic successor of the SBV, the Partikulier-Transport-Genossenschaft Jus et Justitia eG. (PTG), additionally assuming member support. He was granted power of attorney in 1992.

In 2003, he joined the successor association DTG DEUTSCHE TRANSPORT-GENOSSENSCHAFT BINNENSCHIFFFAHRT eG.

In 2009, Wilfried Neynes was appointed Quality Representative (QMR) for ISO 9001|2008 GMP + B4. At the same time, he took over management of the economic aid and the corporate fund of PTG/DTG.