Andreas is 55 years old, comes from Oranienburg and now lives in Bavaria. In 1983 he began his apprenticeship as a barge skipper . Inspired by the TV series ‘Zur See’ (‘At Sea’) shown in the GDR, which he used to watch with his father, he wanted to go to sea at first. Since this did not come to pass, however, he began his career path in inland navigation.
Since 2001 he has worked in what is now our HSL, of which he became the captain in 2005. Today he works on ‘Volantis’ and is pleased to be working the 14/14 shift system, which enables him to combine his job and his family very well. At home he then has plenty of time to keep up with his favourite hobby: ‘Updating my wife’s to-do list’.
Strength of character and certifications: the keys to success
‘Anyone who wants to work onboard must bring the right personality. A lot of people are brought together in a small space and compromises are essential.’ Even if the job is no longer as ‘romantic’ today as it once was, he does not regret his decision. He regards his promotion to captain has his best decision.
He encourages younger people in the same job to acquire the necessary certificates so that they can progress further. ‘It is important that they are also given the chance to drive and manoeuvre the boat.’ He gives his colleagues this opportunity if they show an interest. After all, practice makes perfect.
Flexibility with great landscape backdrops
He regards the section between Cologne and Mainz as the most attractive in terms of the landscape. But he also much enjoys taking the barge on the Lower Rhine, as there are many curves and a high volume of river traffic.
Despite a certain time pressure, he particularly enjoys the independence that comes with the job. Between deadlines it is left to himself and his team to decide how to divide up the tasks, so each day is different to the last. Even as the captain, he feels that he should lend a hand, assisting for example in painting work or washing the decks.
Anyone who wants to work onboard must bring the right personality.
Onboard, good food, cohesion and atmosphere are very important, because people spend a lot of time together and live in a sense like a family. There can be nothing worse than sailing with a bad feeling on the boat, because you don’t feel right in those circumstances. The cooking on Volantis is varied as much as possible. And there’s only one rule: ‘No beetroot, you will drive me away with that!’
In his personal life, Andreas built himself a house in 2016 and thus fulfilled his greatest wish. This aside, he hopes that his daughter completes her education successfully and that his family remains in good health.
On the first day after his shift, he sleeps in. Because of this, his daughter has christened the Thursday after his shift as ‘Sleepyhead day’. For this reason, if sleeping were an Olympic discipline, he would be well placed to compete. He also sees good chances for himself in playing nine-pin bowling, though he has not done this for a long time now.
He has been very satisfied with HGK Shipping as an employer since he joined and feels well looked after. Towards the end of the interview he asks his colleague on the spot whether would also be prepared to give an interview. This will follow in the next issue in the ‘Crew Insights’ series.
