Jersey’s Delay in Ferry Operator Selection Deemed “Embarrassing”

A political commentator has characterized the Jersey government’s inability to select a ferry operator over a ten-month period as “deeply embarrassing.” The Channel Islands had been anticipated to jointly declare their favored bidders for ferry services; however, Guernsey independently disclosed its selection of Brittany Ferries on Wednesday. John Henwood, a political commentator, remarked: “I think Guernsey have done this really to make Jersey look silly and they’ve succeeded.” Deputy Kirsten Morel, who serves as Jersey’s Economic Development minister, stated that he still had outstanding questions for two of the prospective bidders, but assured that a decision would be reached in “a matter of days.” Jersey and Guernsey had collaboratively conducted a tender process to determine whether Condor, the existing ferry operator, would retain its contract for an additional 15 years, or if a different company would assume operations starting next March. Mr. Henwood expressed criticism regarding the Jersey government’s management of the tendering process. He asserted: “For the minister to say ‘we’re taking a bit longer to make sure we get it right’ after ten months and overrunning the process [by] two months just shows a lack of ability in Jersey to make a decision.” Mr. Morel indicated that he was “surprised” by Guernsey’s announcement, learning of it concurrently with the media, which he described as “not a good look.” He commented: “It is the way it is, we are two separate jurisdictions, we have two different ways of looking at things and so this has been a good process in terms of working together, but when you analyse the information Jersey felt it wasn’t in a position to award right now.” Mr. Morel further acknowledged the potential for a scenario where the islands might utilize distinct ferry operators. He stated: “It’s not an easy position, it’s an interesting scenario where you can potentially have two different ferry companies plying these routes.” He added: “I look at the full 15-year period and the risks involved, and speaking to colleagues we all agree we don’t have all the information we need and I want to get this right.” Deputy Kristina Moore, who serves as deputy of the public accounts committee, expressed her hope that Guernsey would “reconsider” its selection. She explained: “The tender of course asks for tenders for both islands to be served by one operator and therefore splitting that makes it a different proposition.” She further elaborated, stating that this situation “not only puts Jersey in a difficult position but puts any company going for that tender in a difficult position as it changes the odds. “We feel that a decision cannot be made under duress, one hand is forcing the other, it should be made with full evidence in front of it.”” Steve Bailey, a former manager at Condor, contended that the Jersey government had already been afforded sufficient time to finalize a decision. He commented: “Jersey is prevaricating – they’ve had ten months, they’ve been working in tandem with the Guernsey authorities and at this late moment to come in and say they have more questions and I believe it’s on a financial basis seems to me a bit late in the day.” Bailey added: “I am very concerned – I actually applaud Guernsey, I think they’ve made the right decision for their island.” Mark Cox, CEO of the Channel Islands Co-operative Society, warned that if the islands opted for separate companies, it would result in additional expenses for islanders’ food purchases. He elaborated: “The complexities of the two islands doing something different would appear to us to add cost – we are well served at the moment by two freight vessels coming into the islands every day, Guernsey has about 35% of the Channel Island freight volume that cannot sustain two freight vessels a day.” Cox concluded: “The service will absolutely dip if that was to happen and costs will increase so we are really concerned and we’re urging both governments for some sort of certainty as quickly as possible.” On Thursday, a tourism organization characterized the possibility of two distinct ferry companies operating services for the Channel Islands as “unworkable,” while businesses simultaneously appealed for the forthcoming ferry provider to offer greater assurance regarding both freight and passenger services. Condor Ferries has been the provider of ferry services for the Channel Islands for a period of 60 years. For updates, follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Story ideas can be submitted to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.