111 years old Swiss steamship put to water with EMIL EGGER heavy lift logistics

The Thurgau entrepreneur Michael Müller, who worked for years in the shipping industry, bought the 111-year-old passenger ship in poor condition in 2010. He first lacked time and financial resources to make the ship seaworthy again. But Corona gave the ship another chance. Müller’s company in Ermatingen, which operates in the field of heating and plumbing, had little work due to the pandemic. The employees and external companies set to work to bring the ship back into shape. Through the last years, about 80 helpers restored the steamboat with hybrid drive. The steam engine generates electricity that can be temporarily stored thanks to a rechargeable battery. In case of an emergency, an electric motor can help out as a second motor. Several hundred thousand francs were invested.

The ship had to be transported from Ermatingen to Romanshorn by special transport for the launching. It put the nerves of the spectators and especially those of the restorer to the test – fortunately, our drivers are used to such transports and handle them professionally. So did driver Martin Fuchs and his colleagues in the escort cars. Calmly and unerringly, they brought the 18-meter-long ship through roundabouts, curves and intersections. In Romanshorn, the 22-ton vessel was lifted from the heavy transporter by Urs Tanner using a 250-ton pneumatic crane and carefully lowered into the water.