Jersey Government Proposes Seven-Month Contract Extension to Condor Ferries

The Government of Jersey has extended an offer to Condor Ferries for a seven-month prolongation of its existing agreement, which covers freight and passenger ferry services to and from the island. Previously, companies had been invited to bid for service contracts in both Jersey and Guernsey, intended to run until 2040. Guernsey has already selected Brittany Ferries, the primary shareholder in Condor, but Jersey’s decision remains outstanding. Deputy Kirsten Morel, who is overseeing Jersey’s tender process, indicated that the offer would “protect our economy” and enable Condor to publish its summer schedules. Condor stated it had no comment on these latest developments at this point. Morel remarked: “Following the breakdown of the joint Channel Islands tender process, we have invited both final bidders, DFDS and Brittany Ferries, to work with the Government of Jersey as we find the best solution for our long-term ferry services.” He informed the BBC that a decision regarding the long-term ferry contract is anticipated by the close of the year. “We’ll go into another process with both these bidders and from there that we will announce, before the New Year, a decision,” he stated. “I am in a difficult position. I need to find financially resilient ferry services for our island. “That financial resilience is all about being able to invest in a new fleet and being able to continue for the 15 years of the contract,” he added. Deputy Neil Inder, President of Guernsey’s Committee for Economic Development, expressed his hope for a unified solution between the two islands. “I would also take this opportunity to clarify that Guernsey’s position is that the joint tender process did not break down,” he said. “Joint scoring was closed by both islands prior to the Committee for Economic Development making its decision,” he explained. When questioned about the government’s request for an extension to Condor, DFDS vice-president Filip Werne Hermann responded: “We need to understand on what terms the short-term deal has been offered to Condor before DFDS will comment further.” Before the extension request was made public, the Jersey Hospitality Association communicated its “shock and disappointment” concerning the government’s “indecision and incompetence” in the ferry tender process, conveyed in an open letter to the chief minister. Chairman Malcolm Lewis asserted that the tender process “can only have done massive harm to the stability and confidence of not only the hospitality industry itself, but the island as a whole”. On Tuesday, a Guernsey committee announced it was evaluating the Brittany Ferries proposal, which is focused solely on Guernsey. The Committee for Economic Development indicated it would finalize a contract within the next 10 days. Inder noted that the two governments would implement a “robust inter-island service” if Jersey were to choose DFDS over Brittany Ferries.