Motor breakdown of the Bodensee ferry Richmond-passengers supplied with free beer!

Motor breakdown of the Bodensee ferry Richmond-passengers supplied with free beer!

Meersburg, Deutschland - The new Lake Constance car "Richmond" caused excitement on Sunday when it became unable to maneuver due to an engine failure. As ZVW drove the ferry between Meersburg and Constance, while the cause of both engines is examined for hours becomes. Fortunately, the fully occupied ship with around 700 passengers and more than 60 cars were not unnoticed during the waiting time; The passengers received free beer, soft drinks and ice to calm the minds.

The "Richmond" is the first car ferry on Lake Constance with liquid gas drive and has only started service since October 2023. The ferry was originally planned for 2019, but commissioning was delayed due to the bankruptcy of the shipyard as well as technical problems and missing approval documents. The final admission was only granted at the end of September 2023, as Welt reported.

ferries and environmental impacts

The "Richmond" replaces the old ferry "Fontainebleau", which was over 50 years old and only offered space for 40 cars. With a length of 82.5 meters and a width of 13.4 meters, the new ferry now offers space for 700 passengers and 64 cars. The Seetörn on the 4.8 -kilometer route between Meersburg and Constance takes about 15 minutes and avoids a detour of around 70 kilometers. The investment for the ferry was around 27.5 million euros, whereby 1.77 million euros were made available by the federal government.

A clear goal of the new ferry is to create a more ecological fleet with a gas engine that does not emit any soot particles or sulfur oxides. This means not only a reduction in environmental pollution, but also a quieter driving experience without exhaust gas flag or smell of burn. The "Richmond" was baptized on Saturday; Accompanied by further test drives, it should now go into operation according to plan.

problems and outlook

The breakdown on Sunday was unhappy, but while the breakdown, other ferries kept the company upright. The ferry will remain in the port for planned maintenance work for the next three weeks. However, the breakdown event has once again illustrated the challenges to which innovative transport solutions such as the "Richmond".

Overall, the incident shows that despite technical difficulties, interest in environmentally friendly means of transport on Lake Constance remains great, and it remains to be seen how the situation around the "Richmond" will develop. Further information about the innovative ferry can be read on the website of the Wochenblatts