SIGNIFICANTLY increasing freight capacity from France would help reduce the impact of ferry cancellations and help keep supermarket shelves stocked, the Economic Development Minister has said.
Out of 350,000 tonnes of goods imported to Jersey last year, 0.5% came to Jersey via the southern route from mainland France, according to Deputy Kirsten Morel.
He said growing that the St Malo route would also help reduce carbon emissions, given the shorter distance between Jersey and France.
‘We are at the early stages of exploring the option of growing the southerly route so that it becomes a second supply route which – while not replacing our UK links – accounts for a greater proportion of our total imports.
‘The waters between Jersey and St Malo are better protected than those in the English Channel, reducing the likelihood of ferry cancellations caused by the weather, and the shorter distance and more protected aspect would produce lower carbon emissions,’ he said.
Deputy Morel added: ‘A regular French supply route would enable us to import fresh food from France, thereby enabling shelves to remain fuller.’
The minister recently confirmed that talks were under way with French supermarkets to help improve food supplies in the Island, as ferry cancellations and disruption had left supermarkets’ shelves bare in recent weeks.
He has also highlighted the ‘unintended consequences’ of Brexit, which had shown ‘just how reliant the Island is on the UK for supplies and that previous governments had become complacent with regard to Jersey’s resilience and our relations with Brittany and Normandy.
‘Brexit has focused our efforts to increase resilience and to improve our relations with our nearest neighbours,’ he said.
When asked how increasing the French supply route would operate and whether this would include another freight boat, the minister said that plans were still in their formative stages.
Condor announced an extension of its southern freight service in February this year, increasing the number of sailings in April from one to five per week between St Helier and St Malo, which the Channel Islands Co-operative Society said would allow it to stock more French produce from supermarket chain Carrefour on its shelves.
In January this year, French company Nostos Marine announced it was planning to launch a new service using the 55-metre Southern Liner vessel between St Malo and St Helier that would deliver goods three times a week to the Island, with a particular focus on construction and agricultural materials.
