Condor Ferries Set for Rebranding, CEO Confirms

The chief executive overseeing both Condor Ferries and Brittany Ferries has announced that Condor is set to undergo a rebranding, irrespective of the outcome of Jersey’s tender process. Brittany Ferries submitted its tender proposal to operate the island’s ferry services on Wednesday. This submission followed the Government of Jersey’s rejection of Condor’s earlier bid for the service on 19 November. Guernsey has chosen Brittany Ferries to manage its services for a duration of 15 years. Christophe Mathieu stated that Condor Ferries would soon transition to the name “Brittany Ferries Channel Islands”. Mr. Mathieu commented: “We will have rebrand the ships [and] the vessels progressively and they will be a Brittany Ferries ship with a Brittany Ferries’ experience soon enough.” He added that “The website of Condor will also be a Brittany Ferries website and so on and so forth.” Condor Ferries has provided services to both Channel Islands for a period of 60 years. Mr. Mathieu confirmed that Condor would maintain its provision of ferry services for Jersey until its current contract concludes in March 2025. Deputy Kirsten Morel, who is responsible for overseeing Jersey’s tender process, had previously indicated that Condor requested a sum ranging from £11m to £36m to ensure the operation of its vessels. Nevertheless, Mr. Mathieu stated that securing a contract to operate Guernsey’s ferries for the upcoming 15 years rendered the previously sought funding unnecessary. He elaborated: “Now that we’ve got Guernsey and we are committed to providing the service to Guernsey beyond April 2025, I can now say that we will find a way to operate until the end of March 2025 as per the contract without any extra money required by the government.” Mr. Mathieu affirmed that the company could assure taxpayers that no financial intervention would be required from them should the Jersey contract be awarded. He further mentioned that Condor’s debt had undergone restructuring, with Brittany Ferries assuming the debt as the majority shareholder. He also indicated his expectation to finalize a contract for Guernsey’s ferry operations shortly and was awaiting the decision regarding the company’s bid for Jersey’s services. Addressing the possibility of a contract solely for Guernsey’s ferry services, he maintained that such an arrangement would be commercially viable due to a reduction in operational ships and an optimized schedule. “We believe that Guernsey can stand alone,” he stated. He added: “It’s a shame that rather than thinking as a group of islands, there is always that ‘us and them’ reaction.” He continued, “I don’t think Guernsey are getting a bad schedule, but they’d get a better schedule if Jersey decide to not choose us.”