Danube-Networkers

Interview with Mrs. Barbara Brandner-Mosser, captain

Interview: Elfi Marek

Pictures: Maria Dürr

Female captains on the Danube

Interview with Mrs. Barbara Brandner-Mosser, captain

In the opinion of captain Barbara Brandner the peace aboard and the wonderful landscape passing by meets the demand for deescalation of the daily hectic.

On this way you may meet our captain on board of the MS Austria or ms Austria princess.

Becoming interested in the motivation to become a shipping captain I succeeded in making an email interview as follows.

Elfi Marek:

Mrs Captain Brandner-Mosser, you were cofounder of the Brandner Schifffahrt GesmBH in 1995. How difficult did you find it to be successful beside the established marketleader DDSG - especially for you and your sister Birgit Brandner-Wallner two young women in a men-dominated branch? With which business philosophy did you manage this?

Mrs.Barbara Brander-Mosser:

"My sister and I have been brought up with shipping - I mean the "Black Shipping" and the Hydraulic Engineering the focal point of the self constucted enterprise of the three Brandner Brothers which they operated for many decades with different intensity.

In 1995 there existed a chance to join the local passenger shipping as the strong state run competitor DDSG was dissolved. It was not our express intent to break in a domaine of men but to realize a new chance.

We had to develop immediately a marketing strategy and to determine the route of the fresh bought ship MS Austria. From the beginning we had a clear idea how to operate the passenger shipping. In our concept the passenger should be king - this meant a well looking ship inside and outside, a well run kitchen with fresh products, friendly nicely dressed stewardesses and a friendly crew, wide services for the children, theme voyages and more. It was always our priority to have content passengers.

As we were not present in the yellow pages of tourism we had to go from door to door to present our system values: attention-tidyness-the supply of customer services and relibility: attributes we always have practised.

We never had a stop but moved foreward. 2003 we bought the second passenger ship our ms Austria princess and rebuilt it totally moreover we renovated the MS Austria in 2008. There will be a lot of innovations also in 2010."

Elfi Marek:

We can read in your home-page that your firm has been much involved in culturel sponsoring for example in the project "Hubert von Goisern goes east" and "Save the World Award 2009". Did you have a special personal preference for these?

Mrs Barbara Brander-Mosser:

"Already the brothers B were always generous in supporting such projects according to their possibilities. The rafting on the occasion of the Lower Austrian Danubefestival in 1997 was more or less the beginning of more great and interesting later projects. The contribution consisted in passing on their great nautical know-how and the sponsoring by various swimming tools (especially from the B-Wasserbau Gmbh) also in connection with the Linzer Soundcloud and the summerfestival plays of Melk.

"Hubert von Goisern" and other projects could not have been realized without our aid. On the one hand it was the attraction of realizing something unusual besides there were personal considerations.

Elfi Marek:

How do you see the future developement of the Danube shipping? Will there be an increase also for youir firm? Do you think more people will prefer a quiet pleasant journey on the Danube instead of flying?

Mrs Barbara Brander-Mosser:

"As the trip by ship is a special pleasant experience we are convinced that this will remain an attractive option also in the future of the cabin shipping as well as for excursions-and the demand shipping.It meets the spirit of time to enjoy the calm aboard a ship watching wonderful banks. At the same time it satisfies the demand of people to slow down especially of those fifty plus who are very vital and active enjoying pleasure. For the new group of the LOHAS a well groomed shipping is a welcomed possibility to spend a short break on the Danube."

Elfi Marek:

I wish you and your enterprise much success and thank you for the interesting interview.

Note:

Mrs Birgit Brandner-Wallner the sister of Barbara Brander-Mosser is responsible for the moorings on the Danube between Linz and Budapest she is also one of the first female captains of the Danube shipping in Austria.

The youngest female captain of today is Mrs Helene Schaurecker in Linz. The oldest female captain of our knowledge is the 90 year old Mrs Hedi Kaspar in Neu-Ulm in Germany. (look Interview http://www.swp.de)