Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DDSG Blue Danube Schiffahrt GmbH

Type	Public
Founded	1829
Headquarters	Vienna, Austria
Industry	Shipping
Products	Shipping, transport
Revenue	▲
Employees	~ (2004)
Website	www.ddsg-blue-danube.at/

The Erste Donau-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, or Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft (DDSG) (the word means Danube Steamboat Shipping Company) was a shipping company founded in 1829 by the Austrian government for transporting passengers and cargo on the Danube.

In 1880, the DDSG was the world's largest river shipping company with more than 200 steamboat ships and about 1000 cargo tubs. In 1991 the company was split into a passenger transportation enterprise and a cargo transport company.

The company was sold to a private owner in 1993. Today the DDSG exists in the form of the two private companies DDSG-Blue Danube Schiffahrt GmbH (passenger transport) and the DDSG-Cargo GmbH.

Since the German spelling reform of 1996, "Schifffahrt" is written with three "f", however since the name belongs to a company that existed before the spelling reform, the old form of the name is used, when referring to the company.

Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänsmütze is also a joke word, probably never actually used, which means a type of "DDSG Captain's hat". Another, even more commonly known joke word Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänskajüte which means "DDSG Captain's cabin".