SGV converting MS Saphir to hydrogen passenger boat
Lucerne - The Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (SGV) is converting the motor vessel Saphir to a hydrogen-based propulsion system. From summer 2026, the Saphir will be Switzerland’s first hydrogen passenger boat and will save 50,000 liters of fuel.
The SGV has announced the conversion of its motor vessel Saphir to a hydrogen fuel cell system. During the conversion, which will take place in the shipyard of the SGV subsidiary Shiptec AG, the diesel engines are to be replaced and 50,000 liters of fuel will therefore be saved. From summer 2026, the Saphir will be the first hydrogen passenger boat to take to the waters of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. The green hydrogen to operate Saphir will be supplied by the hydrogen production plant H2Uri in Bürglen in the canton of Uri, which is currently still being built. The SGV is investing around 4 to 5 million Swiss francs in the conversion of the Saphir and the necessary hydrogen (H2) filling station.
The conversion of the Saphir is expected to take about six months and is being supported financially and in the approval procedures by the Federal Office of Transport as part of the Energy Strategy 2050 in public transport. The conversion is part of the SGV’s goal of reducing the share of fossil fuels in its passenger boats by 20 percent from 2019 to 2026.
H2 is a promising emission-free energy source that offers great potential, especially for larger inland vessels on long timetabled routes. During the journey, the fuel cell from the H2 generates electrical energy for propulsion and/or to charge the battery.
As part of its sustainability efforts, SGV has also electrified the motor vessel Rütli, replaced the steam turbines of all five steamships with generators and used solar fuel from Synhelion on the steamship Gallia. SGV is also investing in a climate protection project run by the organisation myclimate and has been awarded the myclimate Impact Label «Wirkt. Nachhaltig» («Engaged for Impact»).
Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees (SGV) AG
