- 3,000 people enjoy a tour of the new £50 million Condor Liberation.
- Take a tour of the ship with our video, below.
- See what Islanders thought of the new boat.
IT might only be March, but for thousands of Islanders Liberation Day came early over the weekend.
On Sunday, 3,000 people were given a tour of the new £50 million Condor Liberation, which at 102 metres in length and with 880 seats and 245 car spaces is larger and can carry more passengers than any of the company’s previous Channel-crossing vessels.
- Condor Liberation is the companys 16th passenger vessel since it was founded in 1964
- It has a service speed of 35 knots (about 40 mph), which is faster than a great white shark, and its engines have the equivalent power of 50 formula one cars
- There are 33 staff working on the ship on each sailing
- On its maiden voyage from Cebu in the Philippines to Poole, Condor Liberation sailed more than 10,000 nautical miles across the Indian Ocean and along the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea over 22 days
- Each year Condor Ferries carries more than one million passengers and 200,000 passenger vehicles
The state-of-the-art trimaran – the first ferry of its type to operate in northern Europe –joins the Rapide in Condor’s fast ferry fleet. The operator has sold both the Vitesse and Express, although the latter is due to continue operating during the next few weeks.
As the ship sailed into port on Saturday evening it was met by fireworks, water cannon and confetti, as well as a waiting crowd which included Chief Minister Ian Gorst, Assistant Chief Ministers Paul Routier and Philip Ozouf and Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham.
Later, when the fanfare had died down, a blessing was given by the Vice Dean, the Rev Canon Geoff Houghton.
Captain Fran Collins, who sailed the ferry into port and who led initial sea trials in Australia, said that the ship was ‘a milestone in Condor’s history’.
‘It’s absolutely thrilling and it has been quite emotional,’ she said. ‘The really exciting thing about this ship is the difference in structure.
‘Because she’s a stabilised monohull, her structure is much more like a conventional ship, so the ride is really smooth and you don’t get that really sharp snappy motion that the catamaran gives you. I think the passengers are going to have a much more comfortable crossing.’
And the 38-year-old, who is also Condor’s executive director of operations and who has spent more than two decades of her life working in shipping, said that even those passengers most prone to seasickness might not have to worry while on board.
‘It can be quite a rough crossing sometimes coming from England, but she handles superbly,’ added Capt Collins. ‘Coming down, we had a reasonable swell but nobody really felt it.
‘We looked at another boat in the Canaries which has very similar conditions to what we get and they have noticed a 90 per cent sick bag reduction, so we’re optimistic that we will be similar.’
Another difference from the 18-year-old catamarans, she said, was that the new ship has an improved service for passengers who take their cars to the UK or Guernsey.
‘If we look at the car decks, on the other ships it was quite dark and enclosed, quite an intimidating place, but on this ship it’s bright, light, airy and the car lanes are wider, which is something that we knew our customers found hard with some of the old vessels, which were built when cars were much smaller.’
Originally from Poole, Capt Collins first sailed on a Condor ship as a 15-year-old. After spending a number of years working in east Asia, the Middle East and along the west coast of America, she took up a post with Condor 12 years ago. And after years of sailing experiences around the world, the captain said that although the new ship made life easier, the Island’s port still presented a level of difficulty unlike most other places.
‘Jersey is tricky. It’s a really small harbour and there’s a lot of concrete around. You have to be on your game – you have to plan your manoeuvre on the way out so that you’ve always got Plan B in your mind. You’ve always got interesting wind and tide effects, which when they are strong is like trying to park your car when the road’s moving and the pavement’s not entirely static.’
ISLANDERS got their first proper glimpse of Condor Liberation at the weekend, the vessel which is to provide our main connection to Guernsey and the UK for the next decade.
The hundreds lining the Harbour walls to greet the new vessel and the thousands who took advantage of a special guided tour on Sunday demonstrated how significant the new ship is to the Island.
The state-of-the-art vessel, capable of carrying 880 passengers, promises a smoother ride in rough conditions and better on-board facilities for passengers.
Not only has the agreement reached between the operator, which carries 1,000,000 passengers a year, and the States of Jersey and Guernsey meant that Jersey has a fast link to the UK for the next ten years, but it also means tourists have a more attractive and comfortable way to continue visiting our shores and, in turn, help to boost our local economy.
Ken Hudson (60)
‘I’m in the motor trade so I often go to England on the boat, and from what I’ve seen it looks really impressive. It’s definitely a step up. I think the lay-out and the engineering aspects are good and it’s a great message to send to holidaymakers. The only thing I am concerned about is the reliability, , but if that’s solved, it will be a fantastic overall service.’
Dave Maine (61)
‘I like the airiness of the boat. It’s lovely and spacious and there are nice big windows. I think what they’ve done is they’ve taken what they had before and they’ve just moved it up a notch, both with the boat and the branding. There are places in the UK that we would like to go back to, so we’ll definitely consider using the boat in the future.’
Lisa Gibaut (40)
‘It’s a big improvement on the last boat. I was quite impressed with the seats at the front of the boat, and the views you have there are amazing. We’re really looking forward to sailing to the UK, but I do have two young daughters and the children’s play area seems slightly smaller than on the last boat and could get quite full, so we’ll have to see.’
Hermione Moreira (66)
‘I think the seats in the front are fantastic – you’ve plenty of room, which is better than the Vitesse or the Express. I’m taking a group of German visitors to Guernsey soon and I’m really looking forward to it. We have been assured that because the boat is larger it will be more stable, and if that’s the case, it will be a pleasure for everybody.’
Collette Paling (54)
‘I use the French Condor route regularly and the seats are more comfortable on the Liberation. It’s nice and light and airy and Condor seemed to have done a good job planning and thinking it out. I like the fact that it’s going to be stable and more comfortable in rougher seas, so having seen it I think I’ll be more likely to take the car to the UK.’
