FAST ferry links between Jersey and the south coast of England will not run until almost three weeks after DFDS takes up its contract, it was confirmed today.
The Danish operator confirmed yesterday that refitting work on its high-speed craft Levante Jet was scheduled to be completed in time for the first sailings to operate on Thursday 17 April.
The company plans to launch its booking platform before the end of January, and is continuing discussions towards finalising the timetable on other routes, notably St Malo – which is expected to be published next week – and inter-island services to and from Guernsey.
The inaugural services on the Poole route, scheduled to complete the crossing in around four-and-a-half hours, come almost three weeks after DFDS begins its contract on Friday 28 March and 12 days after the first day of the school Easter holidays on Saturday 5 April.
Until the Levante Jet comes into service the day before Good Friday, Islanders and those seeking to travel by boat between Jersey and the south of England will be restricted to the Stena Vinga, which will carry freight and passengers to and from Portsmouth. The southbound journey will take eight hours, while the return trip will operate overnight and take ten hours.
Chris Parker, route director for Jersey, said the timetable would allow people to start planning their immediate travel, with services having capacity for an average of 15,000 passengers in peak season.
He added: “We are conscious that islanders are waiting for more information about our services, and we want to give an update on where we are to be transparent about the timetables to enable travellers to start to plan their travel.
The schedules allow us to offer reliable and frequent services to Islanders and visitors from the UK, ensuring consistent connectivity, and we have flexibility to add extra departures in response to the feedback we are receiving.
“We will continue to develop and enhance our services over the coming months, working closely with industry bodies and the government, encouraging feedback, and operating with transparency and integrity.”
Leaders from the tourism and hospitality sectors have expressed concern about the delay to the release of the timetables during what should be the busiest period for bookings.
Jersey Hospitality Association Marcus Calvani said the timing was “far from ideal”, adding that DFDS had been placed in a difficult position as a result of delays in concluding the original joint tender exercise with Guernsey, the time required for a second Jersey-only process and subsequent legal action by rival bidder Brittany Ferries.
Robert Mackenzie, managing director of CI Travel Group, estimated that up to six weeks of the busiest booking period could have been lost if passengers were unable to book until the end of January, while there has also been concern from sporting organisations wanting to make arrangements for inter-island fixtures.
Mr Parker added that DFDS will be running a joint campaign with Visit Jersey to promote travel to the Island.
