Jersey and Guernsey remain “committed” to providing good inter-island ferry services – despite choosing different operators – according to senior ministers, who have revealed some of the details of the Island’s new partnership with DFDS.
Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham and Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel spoke after confirming that, subject to the completion of contract negotiations, the Danish shipping giant will operate the Island’s UK and French passenger and freight services from 28 March next year.
“It is good to get to the point of a decision and I’m very pleased to have been able to make that decision,” Deputy Morel told the JEP yesterday.
Jersey’s troubled quest to award a 15-year freight and passenger ferry contract initially began under a pan-island selection process, which collapsed in October when Guernsey revealed that it had decided to appoint Brittany Ferries – Condor’s parent company – as its preferred bidder.
This week it was revealed that rival firm DFDS had won the subsequent Jersey-only tender.
The announcement on Tuesday evening that DFDS was the Island’s preferred bidder came with the “full support” of the Council of Ministers, according to the Economic Development Minister.
‘Successful in many ways’
Deputy Kirsten Morel maintained that, despite the collapse of the initial tender, the selection process had been “successful in many ways”.
“Ultimately that process has helped lead to where we are today, which is appointing one of Europe’s largest ferry operators to service Jersey waters,” he said.
Deputy Morel also said that the independent evaluation team involved in the Jersey-only tender had looked at the finances of both bidders, and that there had been “a clear pointer to the stability of the financial situation around DFDS”.
Speaking to the JEP last week, Brittany Ferries chief executive Christophe Mathieu said that it would be “a shame” to have two operators serving the islands, describing it as a “lose-lose” scenario.
But he stressed that Brittany Ferries would “honour” its new contract with Guernsey.
Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham, meanwhile, said that ministers had spoken to their counterparts in Guernsey “straight away” after choosing DFDS and maintained that the islands still had a “strong working relationship”.
“Both islands – and both companies – are committed to providing good inter-island services, so we’ve committed to working on that together and details will be finalised as soon as possible,” he continued.
Poole, Portsmouth and St Malo
It was also confirmed yesterday that DFDS’s offering will include sailings to Poole, Portsmouth and St Malo.
Deputy Farnham added: “For continuity, that’s important – so I’m pleased to say that we are sticking with what have been established ports for the Channel Islands for many years.”
DFDS has said that details regarding its plans for services, schedule and vessels will be provided within the next two weeks.
The operator’s vice-president and head of the business unit for Channel and Baltics, Filip Hermann, said: “We are thrilled to have been selected as preferred bidder for the ferry service to Jersey.”
He continued: “This opportunity allows us to bring our commitment to safety, reliability, and exceptional customer service to both residents and visitors of Jersey.
“We understand that a reliable ferry service is vital for Jersey, for the economy, and for providing essential supplies and access to medical services, and we look forward to serving the local communities on Jersey for many years to come.”
The JEP contacted Brittany Ferries for a reaction to Tuesday’s announcement but the operator declined to comment.
‘All about the detail’
Business representatives have welcomed news that the government has reached a decision on its preferred supplier of ferry services from late March onwards, but are waiting anxiously for further details.
Discussions between DFDS and business leaders in Jersey were taking place by phone soon after the announcement just before 6.30pm on Tuesday, and are due to continue today, with face-to-face meetings having been scheduled.
Chamber of Commerce chief executive Murray Norton said he welcomed the decision, and some of the initial assurances from the Danish company.
“Having a decision is important, and now we can move to the next phase, getting details of what our government had seen and what led the independent reviewers to make this decision.
“We’ve been told that they [DFDS] have berths in all of the key ports, as well as boats suitable for services to and from Jersey, both fast ferries and freight vessels,” he said.
“There’s still a lot of work to do, both in relation to the messaging and the publication of timetables, and meeting all the stakeholders, including freight, retail and tourism – it’s all about the detail now.”
Mr Norton said that while attention was focused on the winning bidder, it was important to retain perspective following the conclusion of Jersey’s tender process.
“There is a whole team from Condor and Brittany Ferries who have worked very hard on this and whose outlook for 2025 has changed very significantly as a result of this decision,” he said. “Condor has been a Chamber member for a long time, so we have to consider the impact on their staff.”
The decision was also welcomed by Robert Mackenzie, managing director of CI Travel Group, who said he thought the correct choice had been made.
He said: “DFDS is a very reputable, financially sound, large, European shipping and logistics company.
“There are still some big questions over how the tender process was managed, but I think it was right to take time and ultimately reach the right decision for Jersey.”
‘Highest priority’
Mr Mackenzie said the highest priority should now be for timetables to be issued as soon as possible.
“In terms of individual bookings for holidays, I’d estimate that fewer than 10% of these would be booked before Christmas, and timetables have usually come out around this time of year,” he said.
“It is important that people are able to book after they’ve talked about it on Boxing Day over the cold turkey, so having a schedule in place by then is essential.”
The commitment by DFDS to have three new vessels on routes serving Jersey by 2031 was also welcomed by Mr Mackenzie, who said he thought that environmental concerns would increase significantly during the intervening period.
