Guernsey Politician Expresses Disappointment Over Separate Ferry Provider Choices

The Guernsey politician who spearheaded the ferry tender process stated that while he was “disappointed” that Guernsey and Jersey did not reach a consensus on a single ferry operator, he would not have acted differently. Deputy Neil Inder, the Economic Development President, was responding to inquiries at a scrutiny hearing regarding Guernsey’s ferry tender process, which initially commenced as a joint initiative between the two islands. He indicated that the committee “hadn’t envisioned” selecting a service for a single island, and the decision to choose Brittany Ferries was made within a week. Key individuals involved in Guernsey’s aspect of the ferry tender process have been questioned by the States’ Scrutiny Management Committee. Deputy Neil Inder mentioned observing social media speculation concerning whether the States of Guernsey’s partial ownership of the Condor Islander had influenced the decision. “I’ve confirmed in writing three times now that the ownership of the Islander played no role whatsoever in our committee’s decision-making. None whatsoever.” “We never discussed it. It wasn’t in any other side conversation we all had a coffee over. It just didn’t exist.” Inder clarified that if the committee had opted for DFDS to operate its essential sea links, the Islander would have been kept as a surplus vessel. The Scrutiny Management Committee questioned whether the economic repercussions of a reduction in service frequency on the inter-island route had been assessed, given that Brittany Ferries is currently scheduling only one weekly journey to Jersey. DFDS has not yet released its schedule. Deputy Inder stated that the committee “hadn’t yet got into” the financial implications of a reduced inter-island schedule, but affirmed that both islands were “determined to get into a better position.” He explained that Brittany Ferries could make more than one weekly call at Jersey harbours, but this is contingent on an agreement of “mutuality,” meaning Jersey would need to agree and align its schedule. He added that the frequency of DFDS’s planned boat services to and from Guernsey would not be known until January.