Personenschifffahrt Gebr. Kolb

Personenschifffahrt Gebr. Kolb is a German inland passenger-shipping company headquartered in Briedern on the Mosel. Founded in 1921 by Peter Kolb, the son of a ferryman from Fankel, it began with a single small motorboat named Maria, which in 1924 opened a scheduled service between Cochem, Beilstein and Briedern. Over the following decades the family business survived the sinking of its boats in the Second World War, rebuilt its fleet, and expanded through newbuilds and acquisitions along the Mosel and, since 2016, onto the Lower Rhine. Today the Reederei Kolb describes itself as the most important passenger-shipping company on the Mosel and one of the largest providers of excursion cruises in Germany, with 23 passenger vessels and a leased car ferry, St. Josef, at Beilstein. The company's core business is leisure and excursion cruising. Its scheduled and themed trips are organised into four geographic areas — Cochem, Bernkastel, Trier and the Rhine — covering round trips, lock cruises, half-day and full-day excursions, and special sailings for school classes, companies and private groups. The Cochem area uses ships such as Wappen von Cochem, Stadt Bonn, Stadt Zell, Moselprinzessin, Maria von Beilstein and Treis-Karden; the Bernkastel area deploys Romantica, Moselkönigin, Nikolaus Cusanus, Mosella, Moselland, Berlin, Theodor Heuss, Gräfin Loretta, Marienburg and Eurostrand Leiwen; the Trier area operates Wappen von Trier, Undine and Undine II; and the Rhine area runs Stadt Rees and Germania from Rees. The fleet also supports event cruises, including evening sailings with live music and DJs, Advent brunch cruises and New Year's Eve celebrations aboard MS RiverDream. Ownership remains with the Kolb family under the legal form of an oHG (offene Handelsgesellschaft, a German general partnership). The company is privately held and does not trade on a stock exchange. Its public-facing brand is closely tied to the website moselrundfahrten.de, which markets the Mosel experience — scenic landscapes, relaxation and themed onboard events — to tourists visiting the region. In a notable vertical-integration move, effective 1 July 2024 the company took over the Hans Boost shipyard in Trier, which now operates as Schiffswerft Trier (also Schiffswerft Trier Gebr. Kolb). The group leased the yard's premises for ten years and bought its equipment, including crane and slipway facilities. As the only shipyard on the Mosel, it primarily serves the maintenance and repair needs of Kolb's own fleet while remaining open to external customers, with business fields spanning shipbuilding (conversion, modernisation, repair), steel construction and mechanical engineering.

The company traces its origins to Peter Kolb, the son of a ferryman from Fankel on the Mosel, who married Maria Boos in 1910. In 1921 Peter Kolb went into business for himself and acquired a small motorboat suitable for the Mosel, naming it Maria after his wife. In 1924 this boat opened a scheduled service between Cochem, Beilstein and Briedern. A second boat, Fortuna, was bought in 1934 and used both on the scheduled route and for special trips. In 1937 a third shallow-draft motorboat (drawing 50 cm) was acquired and named Brunhilde after Peter Kolb's daughter; it was used for special trains of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. The pre-war years were a period of good business for the young passenger company, thanks to growing tourism on the Mosel. During the Second World War tourist traffic on the Mosel collapsed, and the company's three motorboats were sunk by American artillery. In 1945 Peter Kolb and his son Karl Michael managed to salvage the boats, patch them up and transfer them to a shipyard in Trier, where they were repaired and their engines overhauled. Also in 1945 reconstruction began, with the motorboats used as tugs while the company maintained passenger service. In 1946 the French occupation authority confiscated the motorboat Fortuna, which was used under the French name Fortune as an inspection vessel at the inauguration of the road bridge in Treis-Karden. Resuming the scheduled service from 1950 was very difficult for Peter Kolb and his son, as tourism recovered only gradually — helped in part by well-known films shot on the Mosel. From 1958 to 1964 the Mosel was canalised into a major shipping waterway. During this period the company's ships were again used as tugs, and the fleet was supplemented by the tugs Nikolaus and Bebbi. Afterwards the old boats were no longer suitable for passenger transport, and the Cochem–Beilstein and Traben-Trarbach–Bernkastel-Kues routes were operated with two chartered passenger ships. To meet rising passenger expectations, the company ordered its first two newbuilds from a Cologne shipyard in the 1960s. They entered service as Traben-Trarbach in 1966 and Maria von Beilstein in 1967. In 1975 the ship Stadt Zell and in 1976 the Moselland were acquired. In 1980 the Trier excursion company H. Mendgen was bought, together with the ship Zurlauben, and in summer a further passenger ship named Sankt Michael. A third newbuild, Wappen von Cochem, entered service in 1986 as the new flagship. Further ships were purchased in the following years. Since 1999 the Cochem excursion company Rudolf Botsch GmbH, with its two ships Undine and Undine II, has also belonged to the Gebrüder Kolb fleet. With the takeover of the Rees passenger shipping company, since 2016 the line has also offered cruises on the Lower Rhine with the ships Stadt Rees and Germania. Today the fleet comprises 23 passenger ships and the leased car ferry St. Josef in Beilstein. Scheduled services are divided into the Cochem, Bernkastel, Trier and Rhine areas, covering round trips, lock and half-day cruises, day trips and special sailings for school classes, companies, societies and special occasions. Effective 1 July 2024 the company took over the Schiffswerft Hans Boost in Trier, which now operates as Schiffswerft Trier (Gebr. Kolb); the group leased the site for ten years and bought its inventory, including crane and slipway facilities. As the only shipyard on the Mosel, it is used mainly for maintaining and repairing Kolb's own ships without long delays, while also remaining open to external customers, with activities in shipbuilding (conversion, modernisation, repair), steel construction and mechanical engineering.

• 2024

  Effective 1 July, takeover of Schiffswerft Hans Boost in Trier, renamed Schiffswerft Trier (Gebr. Kolb).

• 2016

  Takeover of Rees passenger shipping extends operations to the Lower Rhine with Stadt Rees and Germania.

• 1999

  Cochem excursion company Rudolf Botsch GmbH with Undine and Undine II joins the fleet.

• 1986

  New flagship Wappen von Cochem enters service.

• 1980

  Trier excursion company H. Mendgen acquired with ship Zurlauben; Sankt Michael added in summer.

• 1976

  Ship Moselland acquired.

• 1975

  Ship Stadt Zell acquired.

• 1967

  Second newbuild Maria von Beilstein enters service.

• 1966

  First newbuild Traben-Trarbach enters service.

• 1958

  Canalisation of the Mosel into a major shipping waterway begins (until 1964); ships used as tugs, fleet supplemented by Nikolaus and Bebbi.

• 1950

  Scheduled service resumes.

• 1946

  French occupation authority confiscates the Fortuna.

• 1945

  Boats salvaged after wartime sinking, repaired in Trier; reconstruction begins with boats used as tugs.

• 1937

  Third shallow-draft boat, Brunhilde, acquired for Deutsche Reichsbahn special trains.

• 1934

  Second boat, Fortuna, purchased for scheduled and special services.

• 1924

  Scheduled service between Cochem, Beilstein and Briedern opens with the Maria.

• 1921

  Peter Kolb becomes self-employed and acquires a small Mosel motorboat named Maria.

• 1910

  Peter Kolb marries Maria Boos.

Leading Mosel excursion-cruise operator and one of Germany's largest providers of leisure boat trips, combining a large modern fleet, themed event sailings and in-house shipyard capability.

• Wappen von Cochem

  Flagship passenger ship, entered service 1986, deployed in the Cochem area.

• Stadt Bonn

  Passenger ship in the Cochem area.

• Stadt Zell

  Passenger ship acquired 1975, deployed in the Cochem area.

• Moselprinzessin

  Passenger ship in the Cochem area.

• Maria von Beilstein

  Newbuild entered service 1967, deployed in the Cochem area.

• Treis-Karden

  Passenger ship in the Cochem area.

• Romantica

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Moselkönigin

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Nikolaus Cusanus

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Mosella

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Moselland

  Passenger ship acquired 1976, deployed in the Bernkastel area.

• Berlin

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Theodor Heuss

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Gräfin Loretta

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Marienburg

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Eurostrand Leiwen

  Passenger ship in the Bernkastel area.

• Wappen von Trier

  Passenger ship in the Trier area.

• Undine

  Passenger ship from Rudolf Botsch GmbH, part of the fleet since 1999, deployed in the Trier area.

• Undine II

  Passenger ship from Rudolf Botsch GmbH, part of the fleet since 1999, deployed in the Trier area.

• Stadt Rees

  Passenger ship on the Lower Rhine from Rees, part of the fleet since 2016.

• Germania

  Passenger ship on the Lower Rhine from Rees, part of the fleet since 2016.

• St. Josef

  Leased car ferry at Beilstein.

• MS RiverDream

  Event ship used for New Year's Eve cruises from Cochem.

1. 1Moselrundfahrten official websitemoselrundfahrten.de
2. 2Über Uns :: Moselrundfahrtenmoselrundfahrten.de
3. 3Personenschifffahrt Gebr. Kolb – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
4. 4Personenschifffahrt Gebr. Kolb – Wikidatawikidata.org