NEWS

1st November 2019

 

No fall on the Schilthorn

The motor ship ‘Schilthorn’ on Lake Thun offers companies and institutions a great platform for exceptional events. Its technical infrastructure makes it a floating miniature convention hall but also an appropriate location for exclusive festivities. With its elegance and design, the ship is an eye catcher and the motive of countless photos. This, however, brings its own special challenges.

The many panoramic windows of the ‘Schilthorn’ have to be cleaned daily, so that guests and passengers – during winter the ship runs as a line service – can enjoy an unhindered view on the mountain panorama of the Bernese Alps. The cleaning from the outside is very dangerous, especially in winter, since the walking areas around the ship are extremely narrow. Carelessness can easily end in a fall into the ice-cold water. In order to avoid this, the ship’s owner BLS approached HABEGGER Maschinenfabrik AG for an adequate anti-fall guard.

The challenge for us was to offer a solution, which did not affect the beauty of the ship but also guaranteed complete security for the cleaning staff. We decided to use the horizontal rail system Skyrail by the company Skylotec.

The rails consist of anodised aluminium with a runner attached to the specialised rail profile. Therefore, it is possible to use the whole rail without having to remove the safeguard. To install the Skyrail rails, existing handrails were removed. The clamps for the rails were mounted on the links, which are welded to the ship.

A special challenge for HABEGGER engineering was the octagonal glass pavilion on the upper deck. To hide the anti-fall guard from guests and passengers, the profiles had to be bent and bespoke holdings had to be designed. With this solution, we not only convinced the customer, but also acquired valuable experience and expertise for future projects.