Report on steamboat accident in Cully VD brings shortcomings to light
Published: Friday, Nov 1st 2024, 12:30
Zurück zu Live Feed
On Friday, the Board of Directors of the Lake Geneva shipping company CGN presented the investigation report into the accident involving the steamboat "Simplon" in March 2024 near Cully VD. The risks associated with the ship's test voyage had been underestimated.
This was the conclusion reached by four independent external experts who were consulted for the report. They also criticized the fact that the decision to moor the ship in Cully after it was damaged was not reversed. This was despite several warnings and although there was apparently a weather window that would have allowed the ship to be moved to the Ouchy shipyard.
In their report, the experts also found that CGN's organization is inadequate in terms of identifying and managing crisis situations. The Board of Directors stated in the communiqué that the deficiencies identified were taken very seriously and that it was committed to remedying them by revising the crisis organization and carrying out exercises.
However, the current director of CGN will no longer be able to oversee this process for much longer. It is also reported that he does not feel able to lead the necessary changes in peace. He will step down from his position on May 31, 2025 and make way for a new person who is better suited to the role.
In the course of 2025, the necessary financial resources will be sought to repair the damaged historic steamboat.
The 880-passenger "Simplon" was first put into service in 1915 when it crashed against the rocks on the shore in Cully on March 29 due to a storm and became wedged on the jetty. The ship was on a test trip after the winter break and was not carrying any passengers.
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic