Two ships were ordered, company spokesman Sebastian Dix told MJ , at a combined cost of ? 5.5 million, because of the need for hourly shuttle service.

That was set to begin early July, between the German cities of Constance and Friedrichshafen, which are on opposite sides of the lake and just under an hour apart.

The journey would take 46 minutes in summer and 53 in winter.

The catamarans, unnamed as MJ went to press, were chosen, Dix added, because of their stability, low exhaust emissions, high manoeuvrability and lower energy consumption than monohull vessels. 'They are particularly well-suited for service on the Lake of Constance', he told MJ .The vessels, which each seat up to about 182 people and accommodate about 30 cycles, draw just 1.4 m and their modern MAN Common-Rail injection Diesels, two per vessel, develop 22 knots over ZF gears. They each have two control stands, at bow and stern, and infra-red night vision equipment, GPS autopilots with electronic charts and Swiss radar gear.

There were as yet no concrete plans to introduce further ships, Dix said. The main initial task was just to get the new service up and running between Constance and Friedrichshafen.

Inside about seven years it was hoped to turn it into a popular and economic municipal transport service.