Basler Personenschifffahrt (BPG), a river tour company that has been operating in Switzerland since 1924, was recently sold to ship manager United Waterways following the approval of the Grand Council of the canton of Basel-Stadt.
United Waterways said that, with this acquisition, it has expanded its “floating venues” division with three additional event and excursion ships and, after London, Amsterdam, Cologne and Dresden, with a new location in Basel for diverse and high-quality events on the water.
"Our goal is to expand the existing offerings and develop additional attractions on the water together with our tourism partners in Basel and the region," said Robert Straubhaar, Executive Chairman at United Waterways.
"With a significantly greater presence from 2027 and innovative formats, we want to strengthen BPG economically and drive forward future investments in environmentally friendly ship propulsion systems," added Dr Sascha Gill, CEO of United Waterways.
United Waterways will prepare for integration in the coming months and work with tourism stakeholders to ensure the development of products and the fleet.
The current BPG fleet includes two ships: Rhystärn (pictured), a flagship vessel with a capacity of 600 passengers; and Christoph Merian, which can carry 500 passengers.
