MS Saphir set to run on green hydrogen from Axpo
Lucerne/Baden - Shiptec AG is converting the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company’s motor vessel MS Saphir to hydrogen propulsion. The passenger ship is expected to resume scheduled cruises on Lake Lucerne in late March 2027. MS Saphir will run on green hydrogen from Axpo.
The Lake Lucerne Navigation Company AG (SGV) and electricity producer Axpo, based in Baden in the Swiss canton of Aargau, are joining forces to use green hydrogen in shipping. SGV is currently having its motor vessel MS Saphir retrofitted at the shipyard of its sister company Shiptec AG: electric motors, a fuel cell, and a hydrogen storage system are being installed to replace the old diesel generators. Once completed, the MS Saphir, a motorboat designed to accommodate 300 passengers, will operate sightseeing cruises on Lake Lucerne using green hydrogen from Axpo, according to a statement from SGV.
The sustainable fuel will be supplied by H2Uri AG, in which Axpo is the majority shareholder and SVG holds a minority stake. The company expects to bring its hydrogen production facility online by the end of 2026. It is currently under construction on the site of Bürglen power plant in the Swiss canton of Uri and is expected to produce up to 260 metric tons of green hydrogen annually.
Once the renovation work is fully completed, the MS Saphir will begin test and training cruises in the coming months. The vessel is scheduled to return to service on the one-hour round-trip cruises on Lake Lucerne, with a stop in Kastanienbaum, on Good Friday, 26 March 2027. A hydrogen refueling station must still be built, but until it becomes operational, the MS Saphir will use a temporary solution at the shipyard.
Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees (SGV) AG
