Navigation - FOTSkip to main contentSwiss federal authoritiesLanguage dropdown English selectedDEFRITEN Federal Office of Transport FOT FOT Federal Office of Transport FOT Search Search Contact Published on 10 June 2025 The FOT and ship navigation in Switzerland – full speed ahead The FOT is responsible for the licensing of boats and accreditation of nautical personnel. It also supervises passenger boat services and checks whether they comply with the norms and standards. In addition, the FOT represents Switzerland in international bodies. The BLS operates scheduled boat services on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. — © BLS Ship navigation plays an important role in tourism and excursion traffic. The 150 or so ships of the federally licensed passenger ship companies carry around 14 million passengers every year on Swiss lakes, rivers and border waterways. Sport and recreational navigation on Swiss lakes and rivers is also popular: today about 96,000 sports and recreational boats are licensed in Switzerland. But shipping also plays a major role in freight traffic: around 120 cargo ships carry about 2.5 million tonnes of material annually on Swiss waters. Rhine shipping is particularly significant for freight traffic and transporting vital supplies. The FOT is the regulatory body for matters relating to shipbuilding, shipping services and the accreditation of nautical personnel, and formulates the appropriate regulations. It also monitors the federally licensed passenger shipping companies, i.e. the scheduled boat services on inland rivers, lakes and border waterways, checking whether they comply with the applicable norms and standards. Other shipping is monitored by the cantons, and the cantonal shipping authorities are the point of contact for those who use Switzerland’s rivers and lakes. The FOT is also on the international shipping committees for Lake Geneva, Lake Constance and the Ticino lakes, modifying and drawing up new regulations for the border waterways. International shipping agreements regulate passenger and freight services on the Rhine and deep-sea shipping. FOT representatives are instrumental on the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine in modifying and formulating new shipping regulations. The Swiss Maritime Navigation Office SMNO is the point of contact for deep-sea shipping. Further Information Links Cantonal shipping authorities Swiss Maritime Navigation Office SMNO Federal Office of Transport FOT Section Navigation Mühlestrasse 6 3063 [email protected] About us Around 360 people with a range of expertise work at the FOT. They work in a modern office environment and are committed to further enhancing Switzerland’s (public) transport system. © BAV / OFT / UFT / FOT Stay informed YouTube LinkedIn Further information Contact Address and location Address and location Terms and conditions Impressum