via donau was established on 1 January 2005 by the Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology formed by a merger of the Austrian Donau-Betriebs AG, the Austrian Danube-Technik GmbH, the via donau Development Company for Telematics and Navigation on the Danube and the privatized waterways organization.
Company
via donau executes federal tasks in waterway and shipping. The company is not only an infrastructure operator, but also a partner in business and a service company. Together with national and international partners the company implements projects to increase the use of the waterway. via donau has about 270 employees based at five locations, one main office, two field offices and nine locks on the Danube.
Infrastructure management via donau's tasks are the maintenance of riverbanks and bank constructions, the upkeep of shipping routes and the current measurement and appropriation of hydrographic and hydrologic data. Flood protection via donau is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of flood protection facilities on the rivers March, Thaya and Danube. via donau is also responsible for the currently largest flood protection project on the rivers March and lower Thaya. As the managing office of the Danube Flood Control Agency, via donau is responsible for preventive and protective measures with regard to the DHK's flood control structures in Vienna and Lower Austria. Ecological measures on the Danube The company also conducts numerous river engineering and renaturisation projects. The renaturisation of the Danube is creating near-natural riverbanks and new habitats for animals and plants. Traffic management on the Austrian Danube With DoRIS via donau has participated in the development of a decisive tool for inland waterway transport on the Austrian Danube. In 2006 DoRIS commenced operations and has set the standard for navigation information systems all along the Danube. via donau is working at full speed to develop new and improved services. In addition, via donau supports the implementation of River Information Services in the entire Danube region. The operation of the locks on the Danube also falls under the category traffic management. Developing and strengthening inland waterway transport via donau is working on increasing the attractiveness of inland waterway transport to increase the flow of goods on the Danube. New initiatives and service provisions are being designed and implemented by via donau to make inland shipping more attractive. In 2005 The “National Danube Shipping Action Plan” came into effect in Austria, in which around 70 individual measures were defined for strengthening and developing shipping. The NAP was given substantial support in its development by via donau and defines the key aspects of Austrian shipping policy in the years to come. On European level, the European action programme NAIADES has succeeded in ensuring the lasting importance of inland shipping transportation. This programme has been realised with considerable involvement from via donau and lays out clear strategies for shipping in Europe.
