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.

Swiss inland navigation
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.

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 tourist purposes.

Swiss high seas fleet
Switzerland has a civilian high seas fleet of merchant vessels, whose home port is Basel, in Switzerland.

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.

In 2010, a fleet of 37 ships flew the Swiss flag, made up of bulk carriers, container ships, multi-purpose freighters and tankers, totalling one million tonnes and operated by six shipping companies.

Shipping companies

 * ABC Maritime AG
 * Enzian Shipping AG
 * Massoel Gestion SA
 * Reederei Zürich AG
 * Suisse-Atlantique Société de Navigation Maritime SA