Merchant Marine of Switzerland
Somewhat unusually for a
landlocked country,
Switzerland has a long tradition of civilian navigation, both on its lakes and rivers, and on the high seas.
The
Rhine port of
Basel connects Switzerland to the port of
Rotterdam and thus to the sea trade network.
Swiss industry and commerce rely on this connection, exploited for centuries by Swiss Rhine barges, for a substantial part of their imports and exports.
The
Swiss lakes, most notably
Lake Constance,
Lake Maggiore and
Lake Geneva, are among the most intensively navigated
lakes in the world, mostly for recreational and touristic purposes.
Switzerland has a civilian high seas fleet of
merchant vessels, whose home port is
Genoa, in
Italy.
The first ships were purchased and operated by the
government in order to ensure the supply of critical resources during
World War II. After the war, a privately owned merchant fleet emerged, spurred in part by government subsidies that paid for the fleet's operation up until 1953.
As of
2006, 26 ships (mostly
container carriers) totalling 479,624
tons, operated by five shipping companies, fly the
Swiss flag.
* ABC Maritime AG
*
Enzian Shipping AG*
Massoel Gestion SA*
Reederei Zürich AG* Suisse-Atlantique Société de Navigation Maritime SA
* While Switzerland has no
navy, it does have some military motor boats; see
Swiss Army. However, there has been at least one "Swiss" warship: the
American Civil War steamer
USS Switzerland.
*
The Swiss Family Robinson, another example of Switzerland's unusual connection to the sea.
*
Swiss flags at sea*
Extensive information on the Swiss high seas fleet, in German*
History of the Swiss merchant navy and its importance to the nation, on the website of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Last accessed 2 March 2006.
