An 89-year-old passenger ship, out of commission due to the coronavirus pandemic, was re-purposed on Tuesday as a Covid-19 vaccination centre for thousands of residents from cities on Lake Constance.

The 500-passenger MS Thurgau normally carries tourists and commuters between German and Swiss cities on Europe's third-largest lake. In coming weeks it will serve as a floating inoculation hub for northern Swiss towns Romanshorn, Arbon and Kreuzlingen.

Regional officials emphasised the ship's practicality since it can sail from harbour to harbour, earning it the nickname "vaccine vaporetto"...