- Delays on Condor Liberation again on Saturday caused by problem with car deck.
- As a result, 24 vehicles had to be left behind.
- Take a tour of the ship with our video.
- See what Islanders have been saying below.
CONDOR’S new £50 million fast ferry was delayed on Saturday when it developed a problem with one of its hoistable decks while operating between the Channel Islands and Poole.
Because of the fault the Liberation left Poole late, and tidal constraints in Jersey meant that it was forced to leave 24 cars behind.
These were later placed on the conventional ferry, the Commodore Clipper.
The problem resulted in delays of more than an hour.
Fran Collins, executive director of operations at Condor Ferries, said that around 60 passengers were affected and had been offered the choice of alternative travel on the Commodore Clipper on Saturday evening or Sunday’s Liberation sailing.
She said: ‘I would like to apologise for the inconvenience this has caused our passengers.’
The Liberation was also delayed by around 30 minutes yesterday, although Condor said that this was not due to any technical problems.
Today the company said that all its sailings were operating to schedule.
The delays at the weekend come after the Liberation faced a number of setbacks after it came into service last month.
It was out of action for more than a week after it struck a harbour fender in Guernsey on its second commercial sailing.
Due to the repair work Condor was forced to bring one of its older vessels, the Express, out of retirement to cover the busy Good Friday sailings.
Meanwhile, the Liberation ran more than four hours late last Monday after suffering technical problems with a faulty engine valve.
- 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
PaulJ: ‘We are due to sail in the next month or so and I am getting increasingly worried. Let’s hope they get things sorted. Bring back competition in our waters.’
Ontheboatinthemorning: ‘Outstanding – they have two boats which were always experiencing these problems which they have now swapped for just one. So no back-up, longer queues, shoddier service and they’ve killed off Weymouth too. Nice going guys – what could you possibly do for an encore?’
Colonel: ‘This ship – as I stated before Condor bought it – is a liability. Sure, there are always teething problems with new machinery, but this boat is clearly not fit for purpose (and gives an unpleasant ride to boot). No wonder the builders couldn’t sell this prototype for four or five years – until Condor came along. Best thing Condor could do is send it back.’
Tony B: ‘Treat them like the bus company, the wheels don’t turn you don’t earn. Don’t do the milage contacted for, and we take back the money of the contract.’
Rodney: ‘The issue here is that Jersey’s harbour is inadequate – it’s tidal! Operational problems occur from time to time, but with Condor facing the prospect of missing the tide and having to wait four hours or go, what could they do?’
