A TEN-YEAR partnership has been agreed between Portsmouth International Port and Condor Ferries.
The port said that the renewed contract would ensure ‘essential freight can continue to flow to businesses and residents based in the Channel Islands’.
Ian Palacio, business development manager at the port, said: ‘I’m delighted that we’ve signed this ten-year agreement with one of our longest-standing customers. We are proud to play our part in providing this essential lifeline ferry service to the Channel Islands.
‘With the port’s excellent location right next to the UK’s motorway network, we look forward to working closely with Condor Ferries to continue to boost trade and tourism between the UK and the Channel Islands.’
Condor’s chief executive, John Napton, also welcomed the news, saying: ‘We are naturally very pleased to conclude this agreement, as it secures Condor’s priority services to the islands from Portsmouth for the foreseeable future.’
Representatives from Jersey and Guernsey are meeting within the next few weeks to discuss agreements between the islands and the ferry service, with the current ten-year Jersey-Condor agreement set to expire in less than two years.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said that he remained ‘committed’ to working with States of Guernsey counterparts.
‘We have shared objectives to secure high-quality, resilient sea connectivity,’ he said.
‘Both islands depend upon – and benefit hugely from – our sea links and I am confident that we can meet our shared Channel Island objectives in any new arrangement.
‘This announcement of a long-term agreement between Condor and PIP does not change our outlook or approach.’
