From Easter Monday, the ships will set sail again on Lake Starnberg.
However, the MS Bayern remains in port.
She has a leak and cannot be brought ashore because of the low level.
Starnberg – As of Sunday, all Bavarian Lake Navigation ships will be sailing across Lake Starnberg again.
All except for the MS Bayern.
She remains in port – indefinitely.
Inside the 75-year-old ship, a pump hums along.
Otherwise the 48 meter long ship would probably sink.
"The MS Bayern was still sailing until September," says Michael Grießer, Managing Director of the Bavarian Lake Shipping Company.
"Then employees noticed that water was getting in." The oldest ship in the fleet on Lake Starnberg has a leak.
But no one can tell how big it is from the inside.
"In order to examine the problem more closely, we have to lift the ship out of the water and assess the damage from the outside," explains Grießer.
That's easier said than done.
Since September, the MS Bayern has been waiting for the diagnosis of how serious the leak is and whether it can be repaired.
The reason: the water level at Lake Starnberg is currently far too low to tow them ashore.
"At the moment the water level is around 60 centimeters," says Grießer.
"To bring the ship ashore, 80 would be good, but we would need at least 70 centimeters."
MS Bayern: Unfit to drive until the water level drops
Because of her age - the MS Bayern was built between 1939 and 1948 - her construction is still different from that of the other ships in the fleet.
Due to the tapering V-hull, more space is needed to be able to lift the ship sideways from the water over wagons and blocks onto the slipway.
"A crane alone doesn't help - that's precision work," says fleet manager Michael Grießer.
He hopes that the level will rise soon and the MS Bayern can go ashore.
"Unfortunately, only then can we say whether a repair is practicable and economical."
The leak is a shame.
After all, the TÜV stamp of MS Bayern is still valid up to and including 2024. Although the lady is in good spirits, she has still reliably fulfilled all the requirements for the safety of the passengers.
"Nevertheless, the ship is of course getting on in years," says Grießer.
The MS Bayern is not barrier-free, the sanitary facilities are old.
“The whole design is different from our more modern ships.
You can tell that this is no longer well received by the passengers.” And that is why the old lady has only been used as a replacement ship for a long time when one of the two large ships MS Starnberg and MS Seeshaupt was chartered for events in the evening.
At least the leak does not sabotage the current timetable for the start of the season.
And according to Grießer, the days of the MS Bayern are not necessarily numbered: "On the Königssee ships with a wooden hull that are already 100 years old are sailing." (sco
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