LUZERN: Blick hinter die Postkartenseiten SCHWEIZER MARINE ...

ANZEIGE
New era for a traditional company
The Lake Lucerne Navigation
Company (SGV) is known far
and wide for its traditional
steamships. However, the
construction of a catamaran
with scheduled services commencing
in the spring of 2009
marks the start of a new era
for the long-established company.
It will be the largest
catamaran ever to have plied
Lake Lucerne. The planning,
construction and overall completion
of this innovative
motor vessel have been undertaken
by the «Shiptec»
Design Office and Shipyard
in Lucerne, for all stages of
design and construction.
For as long as it has been in
existence, SGV Shipyard has
been constructing new ships
in addition to servicing the
overall fleet of 20 ships. SGV
Engineering has built up a great
deal of experience through its
work on hundred-year-old
steamships and a variety of
motor vessels. It has therefore
retained valuable know-how
and skills in steamship technology.
This has led to SGV
Engineering now being one of
the few European firms that
is able to repair and service
ships’ steam engines. With the
development of the catamaran,
SGV Engineering has moved on
from conventional passenger
ship design and demonstrated
that it is not only capable of
working with traditional types
of vessels, but also able to
adapt to the demands of the
present day. The catamaran
proves that, with a bit of cour-
bordmagazin 2009
age, it is possible to build an
innovative ship such as has
never been seen before in Swit-
zer land. While a large number
of shipyards in Europe and the
Middle East are indeed able
to construct these vessels,
what was particularly advantageous
in this case was the
unique com bination of owner
and builder, as this enabled
the combined experience
from the SGV’s three business
divisions – gastronomy, navigation
and SGV Engineering –
to be applied to the construction
of a new ship.
The unique experience of going
on a cruise on Lake Lucerne
and its interesting culinary
theme voyages have made
SGV one of Switzerland’s most
successful steamship companies.
However, SGV is not only
successful as a shipping company
– its subsidiary, Tavolago,
is on the move both on the
water and ashore. SGV’s third
division, SGV Engineering, is
not as well known to its customers.
Many people have no
idea that SGV Engineering’s
functions include corrosion
protection for hydroelectric
power stations, the servicing
of ships throughout Switzerland,
and work on yachts.
These abilities and its superior
infrastructure combine to give
SGV’s third division a great
potential that has not yet been
sufficiently exploited. One of
the main goals is to expand SGV
Engineering and to be involved
in more outside projects. An
important step in this direction
has been the setting up
of a construction section that
can support existing departments,
such as metalwork,
mechanics, painting, electrical,
pipe work and joinery. In
conjunction with these areas,
additional manpower and
know-how now make it possible
to plan practical projects
and to manage and complete
large projects such as the
construction of the catamaran.
The expansion of the construction
section, with its
shipbuilding, mechanical and
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Focus
design engineers, has made
SGV Engineering not only one
of Switzerland’s largest shipyards,
but also the employer
of its largest team of engineers
specializing in shipbuilding.
Björn Hensler,
Shipbuilding engineer
Foto: SGV
Info: www.shiptec-lucerne.ch
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