Investigation into Switzerland's new richest family (Swiss Press Online 2023, by Sylvain Besson) - Swiss Press Award
Le Matin Dimanche (print), tdg.ch, 24heures.ch, tagesanzeiger.ch
Sylvain Besson
Their company, the giant MSC, based in Geneva, is worth 100 billion, yet we know nothing about them. The Aponte family, headed by 82-year-old Gianluigi, president and undisputed owner of the world's No. 1 shipping company, is said to be the richest in Switzerland. How did this son of a small shipowner from Naples, based in Geneva since the 1960s, start with a modest cargo ship – the Patricia – shuttling between Europe and Africa, loaded with cement, wood, and coffee, and become the owner of a gigantic fleet of 17 cruise ships, but above all, 700 container ships, capable of carrying up to 24,000 boxes? Sylvain Besson retraces this family saga, with a well-documented history of the race for gigantism, of which MSC was one of the pioneers. But everything comes at a price: its fleet emits as much carbon dioxide as the whole of Switzerland (34 million tonnes) – the company is thus far from achieving its 2025 climate target.
Interview with Sylvain Besson
