A fresh breeze for Helvetia
'Trudy' and "Helvetia', the deep-sea vessels owned by the Swiss Confederation, have been taken over by the Briese Schifffahrt Group. The transaction totalled CHF 15 million.
Many investors resident in Switzerland acquired a direct participating interest in the multipurpose vessels and their value creation.
After the replacement of the federal guarantees and the subsequent financial restructuring, Philipp Leibundgut, chairman of the board of directors of Briese Schiffahrt (Schweiz), sees good opportunities for the operation and capacity utilisation of the units: "The vessels 'Trudy' and 'Helvetia' are young ships that are suitable for the transport of wind turbines, a rapidly growing market."
Currently, investors hold direct participating interests in multipurpose vessels with a new construction value of more than EUR 150 million. More participation projects are in the pipeline for this year.
Listed in the German shipping register, the ships now operate under the names of 'BBC Rhônetal' and 'BBC Rheiderland'. (cd)