Earlier this year, around 300 passengers were left stranded in Normandy and Jersey after both of the firm’s vessels broke down within a day of each other during the Bastille Day weekend. The company’s other ferry, Victor Hugo, was brought back into service a few days later but has had new electronic control equipment installed, which is currently being tested.
As a result, the business is temporarily unable to operate into Carteret, Sark, Dielette or Alderney – where docking assistance is not available.
The company was selected to run an inter-island ferry service between Jersey and Guernsey following a tender process held earlier this year and received funds from the States of both islands.
Hugues Gros, director of Manche Iles Express, explained the issues facing the Granville.
‘It is quite a complicated problem. We are having to change one of the three engines so that means removing it, sending it to the factory in Normandy, taking it back and then installing it in the ferry again,’ he said.
‘We do not really think that it will come back into service until mid-August and it is too early to have a more precise date.
‘Only the Victor Hugo is operating but today we are expecting rough weather so we think we may have to cancel our crossings between France, Jersey and Guernsey. It has not been a good year for us.’
Mr Gros also said the the company’s ferry pilots were currently familiarising themselves with a new command system and the Victor Hugo would have to operate at limited capabilities for a time. ‘We are still testing a new electronic device on the Victor Hugo, which means that we have had to cancel services into ports where there are no handling services,’ he said.
‘On a few dates we have made an agreement with the Isle of Sark Shipping Company, which means we will be able to transfer some passengers over to Sark [from Guernsey] on 5 and 8 August. Passengers can also rebook onto another date or be refunded.’
In a later statement, the company said that if Islanders chose this option, the additional cost of having to travel to Guernsey would be absorbed by Manche Iles Express.
A spokesman for the firm added: ‘The company sincerely apologises for the inconvenience and the economic impact on the island of Sark and we would like to thank everyone for their continued support and understanding.’
