Navigation Report on steamboat accident in Cully VD brings defects to light
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.
01.11.2024, 11:15
01.11.2024, 11:21
SDA
This was the conclusion reached by four independent external experts who were consulted to prepare 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 the organization of the CGN company was inadequate with regard to the identification and management of crisis situations. The Board of Directors stated in the communiqué that the shortcomings identified were being 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 not be involved in 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 task.
In the course of 2025, the necessary financial resources will be sought to restore the damaged historic steamboat.
The 880-passenger "Simplon" was first put into service in 1915 when it crashed into 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.
