The first hybrid motor vessel in service on Lake Garda

On 17 July, at the Cantiere Navale della Navigazione Lago di Garda shipyard in Peschiera d/G, the new motor vessel 'Agone' was presented to the press. This is the first hybrid vessel of the public line service that will ply the waters of Lake Garda.

Twenty-ninth unit of Navigazione Lago di Garda, 35 metres long, 7.5 wide and with a capacity of 350 passengers, the motor vessel "Agone" is a jewel of advanced technology: in fact, it is equipped with diesel-electric propulsion, i.e., a sophisticated system that allows landing manoeuvres, passenger disembarkation/embarkation operations, and manoeuvres away from the wharf to be carried out in full-electric mode, thus avoiding the emission of pollutants and noise into the atmosphere; the hull has been designed to reduce wave generation, and an in-depth study of on-board comfort has made it possible to minimise the effects of vibrations and noise.
"We have the task of providing efficient and effective transport - comments Donato Liguori, the Authority's Managing Director - and at the same time as environmentally sustainable as possible: numerous initiatives have been put in place to achieve this goal and the motor vessel Agone is a tangible example of this, confirming Navigazione Laghi's concrete commitment towards increasingly sustainable mobility, capable of combining environmental protection and the enhancement of places. We will continue our work towards a gradual energy transition of the entire fleet, exploiting the technological improvements that will develop over time in the inland navigation sector, incentivising and favouring the use of scheduled public service for travel in order to preserve the territories in which we operate".
"It is with pride that we present this new jewel of the Lake Garda fleet," comments Operations Director Giuseppe Mafale, "which is part of a path we have been following for several years aimed at encouraging integrated and sustainable mobility. The Lake Garda tourist system cannot disregard the need to adopt solutions that allow visitors to leave their cars parked and move around by public transport and/or personal means such as bicycles; the Lake Garda area is in fact particularly appreciated for cycle tourism and the Agone motorship also responds well to the needs of this segment of travellers: it is equipped with racks at the bow where up to 12 bicycles can be loaded and special sockets for recharging e-bikes. The new motor vessel will start service in the first weeks of August, after staff training, and will initially circulate in the waters of the lower lake.
Today's presentation by the Navigazione Laghi governmental management of the hybrid diesel/electric motor vessel 'Agone' represents 'a great result because it is part of a path of ecological transition, not imposed from above, but realised in real practice' so 'once again thanks to Matteo Salvini and the Ministry of Transport we are moving from words to deeds'. So says the undersecretary to the presidency of the council, Alessandro Morelli. 'We want to promote the culture of transition in a programming key, also thanks to virtuous initiatives,' he explains, 'through the inauguration of a motorboat that will transport 350 people and will be able to have up to 12 bicycles, also in recharge, as well as paying great attention to people with disabilities with total accessibility. This will allow the Lake Garda system to promote tourism and continue to excel in local public transport services". "It is necessary to rethink and reformulate new governance policies for mobility and transport," he concludes, "which today see the contrast between the bans and taxes of mayors to enter our large cities and the Government's policy that focuses on lower taxes for our citizens by working to expand the offer with the strengthening of sustainable collective transport systems and with greater integration of different services.

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