In 2021, shipping in Switzerland generated total costs of CHF 0.5 billion. These figures include the costs of public passenger transport on lakes and rivers, which mainly serves excursion tourism, as well as the costs of freight transport on the Rhine, an important route for import and export traffic. They exclude the costs associated with smaller pleasure and sport vessels, passenger services without a fixed timetable and freight transport on lakes (e.g. in the gravel industry).
Shipping costs are driven primarily by environmental and health impacts (49% in 2021) and by the purchase, maintenance and operation of vessels (43%). By contrast, infrastructure costs are minimal (7%), as shipping in Switzerland largely relies on natural waterways.
The general public is the largest bearer of the costs associated with shipping (49% in 2021), assuming almost all of the environmental and health costs. In 2021, transport users contributed around 36%, while the state covered the remaining 15%.
