Navigation Lake Geneva boats dock in Cully VD again

SDA

19.7.2024 - 15:11

The landing stage in Cully VD was put back into operation on Friday after three months of construction work. The facility had been severely damaged during a storm in March.

Keystone-SDA

"I arrived at 9.34 a.m. with the first ship to dock," said Pierre Imhof, head of the Lake Geneva shipping company CGN, at the inauguration. "It was a challenge to get shipping services up and running again after such a short time. It was a long time for the people who regularly use the boat. But technically, it would have been difficult to make it faster," Imhof told the Keystone-SDA news agency.

The landing stage had to be almost completely rebuilt in the same way as before, with a few adjustments to meet the standards. The cost of the work amounted to around 750,000 francs. "Discussions will now take place with the insurance companies. We hope that they will cover the vast majority of the costs," continued the CGN boss.

Historic steamboat badly damaged

On March 28, the historic CGN ship "Simplon" suffered engine damage during a test trip. Due to the strong winds, the company decided not to tow the steamer to the shipyard in Ouchy and moored it in Cully. During the night, the ship hit the rocks on the shore and collided with the jetty.

At this stage, there is still no assessment of the damage to the "Simplon". The evaluation of the expert reports and inspections have not yet been completed. In the coming months, CGN will decide whether it will repair the damage or prefer a complete refurbishment. The 880-passenger "Simplon" was first put into operation in 1915.