Condor Ferries Declines Jersey Contract Extension

Condor Ferries has turned down a seven-month extension to its existing freight and passenger agreement for services to and from Jersey. Deputy Kirsten Morel, the Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, informed the States Assembly on Tuesday of the company’s decision. He stated: “Condor has confirmed that it will not be accepting the invitation to extend the current operating agreement beyond March next year”, adding that a new operating agreement would be implemented after March. Brittany Ferries, the owner of Condor, verified that it had declined the extension. Companies have been invited to submit bids for services in both Jersey and Guernsey, with contracts extending until 2040. While Guernsey has already selected Brittany Ferries, which holds a majority stake in Condor, Jersey has yet to finalize its decision. During the States meeting, Mr. Morel, who is overseeing the tendering process, indicated that Condor had requested additional funding to ensure it could continue providing services until March, should its bid for the Jersey contract be unsuccessful. The minister specified that the requested amount was in the range of millions of pounds. He further stated that he would not enter into any future ferry contract that would require Jersey to cover the cost of contingency vessels. Currently, Jersey and Guernsey jointly pay hundreds of thousands monthly for a standby ferry, which is based in the Isle of Man, to provide backup in case of issues with vessels in the Channel Islands. Mr. Morel informed the BBC that he would now be approaching the Danish firm DFDS to operate ferry services to and from Jersey once Condor’s contract concludes. He commented: “I want to go and speak to DFDS about them being able to take bookings or expressions of interest bookings for tour operators from next year.” He continued: “That is something I am going to do because I know that is something the tourism industry would like.” The minister clarified that this arrangement would initially be on an interim basis until a permanent provider is agreed upon. He added that Jersey’s approach to DFDS should not be interpreted as the island considering the firm its preferred bidder. Mr. Morel stated: “It can’t be taken that way but I do want our tourism industry to feel as though they can take bookings.” Robert Mackenzie, managing director of CI Travel Group, remarked: “I hope a ferry decision is expedited as quickly as possible, given the uncertainty for hospitality and other businesses in Jersey and Guernsey.” Brittany Ferries stated it had no further comment regarding its refusal of the extension.