Aletra Communications Sagl is delighted and honored to announce its new working collaboration with Societa Navigazione Lugano. We will support the launch of the first fully electric ship which will be presented in Ticino in September 2021.
For more than 170 years SNL has been providing its navigation service on Lake Lugano and from 2018 also on Switzerland's Lake Maggiore area, boasting with pride one of Switzerland's most important fleets. Throughout its long history, it has been an active witness and leader in the economic, social and tourism developments in Canton Ticino. In 2020 SNL initiated the "Project 20 - 35", whose ambition is to establish - by 2035 - a fleet that is entirely zero-emission due to the re-motorization of its existing vessels, by substituting diesel engines with modern and environmentally friendly electric engines, as well as a selection of additional electric vessels. This project's origins date back to 2016; SNL in fact undertook and completed the electrification of the MNE Vedetta 1908, a fully recovered vessel that was made fully-electric through an electric engine but while remaining faithful to SNL's founding pillars: traditions, environmental responsibility and modernity.
Work is currently underway at the Lugano shipyard on the MN Ceresio 1931 (the future MNE Ceresio), which will feature a new high-efficiency electric motor powered by a system of lithium polymer rechargeable batteries with the capacity and speed never before installed on a ship of similar class and size. The company expects to complete the vessel's electrification during the summer of 2021, in time to celebrate the vessel's 90th birthday. Upon completion, Lake Lugano will become home to Switzerland's first ever fully-electric liner, resulting in the first significant drop in shipping-related CO2 emissions. This represents an important commitment of social responsibility which SNL has undertaken in the knowledge that the natural heritage of the lake must be protected, in the near future to ensure a lake mobility that can count on efficient and sustainable means of transport. The electrification project now involves a host of institutions, enterprises, and training centers that share the vision of SNL for the future of mobility and that have responsibly provided their knowledge and support in order to be the proud interpreters and witnesses of a substantial and virtuous contribution to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation that will raise the standards of navigation on the lakes. Looking ahead to the completion of the first stage of this multi-year project, SNL will hold two major events devoted to the inauguration and launching of the MNE Ceresio.
On this occasion, a specific sponsorship plan has been created for companies that will positively evaluate the scope of the initiative and the brand reputation that this project will have both at national and international level. We are confident that the above information may be shared and welcomed, and we hope to be able to present to you the strategy of our intervention and the sponsorship scheme which will be implemented during the next inauguration of MN Ceresio 1931.
SUMMARY: The 2020-2035 project includes:
Lake Ceresio: refitting of the entire fleet to zero emissions and purchase of a new electric boat
Lake Verbano: purchase of new electric boats
Electrification of Ticino lakes and support for alternative mobility
The 2020-2035 project, in coherence with what has already been achieved in 2016 with the refitting of the MNE Vedetta 1908, the first all-electric line boat in Switzerland, has the following objectives:
Zero e-missions: CO2 emissions reductions through conversion of boats currently powered by diesel by installing electric propulsion systems
Reducing commuter traffic: shifting mobility from road (private vehicles) to boat (public transport)
Support for private boat electrification: Provision of charging stations on the piers for private boats
Reduction of noise pollution
Reducing water pollution
Reducing operating costs
Creation of a technological competence center in the field of sustainable lake mobility
Creation of new vocational skills (Academy, Master)
Creation of new employment that will benefit the whole community
This project is not intended to purchase or modernize a few boats, but rather to provide electrification to the lakes of Ticino in order to support the entire territory. In this perspective, the charging structures on land assume particular importance.
It is highlighted that this infrastructure represents a significant benefit for the entire region as it will be responsible for the transition to electric navigation also for small private boats. The 2020-2035 project involves a major financial investment that SNL cannot support independently, but that requires the primary support of the local area, businesses and all the parties that share and are already active in the field of sustainability and ecology as a necessary and ethical turning point for the future of its business.