IT has been a year since DFDS began its regulated monopoly service to and from the Island, having been awarded a 20-year deal at the tail end of 2024.
To use an obvious pun, it’s been far from plain sailing and one senses that even the famed cool of a small nation that brought us Lego, Maersk and Carlsberg has been tested by the quirks and demands of running a lifeline service to an even smaller island.
Setting up in Jersey had “proven harder than expected”, DFDS’s Copenhagen-based CEO admitted in November.
However, despite attracting plenty of negative criticism, DFDS is here for the long-haul – contractually committed until 2045 and signed up to invest £300m on new boats.
If Carlsberg did ferry services, one expects it would look to the future rather than the past.
Reflecting on those last 12 months, the firm’s route director in Jersey, Chris Parker, said that the year had been both “challenging” and “simultaneously very long and flown by in a flash”, adding that 2026 would be a year of improvement and growth.
‘Improvement’ could be seen as a concession that things had not initially gone to plan but, to be fair, DFDS was playing catch up from the start.
The tight timeframe that it had to get up and running – caused by the first pan-island tender falling away, a condensed second Jersey-only tender taking place in double-quick fashion, then a further delay while Condor took the fight to the Royal Court – have been well documented.
In short, DFDS had three months to establish a new Jersey-only service, and, with it, recruitment, finding vessels, agreeing port slot times, developing booking systems etc.
Having been “hugely disappointed” when Guernsey steamed off in another direction, the Danes also had to revise its business model and sales pitch in double-quick order.
Mr Parker said: “I would say it was a difficult start, which has improved as we’ve gone through the year and added more and more to our offering.
“I think we would regard 2025 as the startup year to build a platform for the next 19. There are always things that we could have done better, but I think we have listened and tried to make changes where we can. We will never stop learning.”
Had Mr Parker, and DFDS, been surprised that its level of service had been such a talking point for the past year?
He said: “Having been through the tender process in Jersey and Guernsey, with our public and private meetings, we came into this with open eyes and I was expecting a lot of interest. There is certainly a lot more day-to-day public engagement with the ferry service than we have on our other routes, which a function of it being a lifeline service.
“I see that as an opportunity; somebody said to be very early on, before we had even started: ‘We don’t just want you to succeed, we need you to succeed’ and I think – despite the challenges – that has played out.
“It feels to me, looking at where we are with bookings and the conversations I’m having with partners in the Island, we are in a different place now, and there’s much more positivity around inbound tourism and for the visitor economy. We are getting there, and as we give more support to the community, it is supporting us.”
As evidence, Mr Parker points to the fact that forward bookings are already strong, with more than 130,000 passengers booked for this year.
But this interview is not just a record of reflections or pledges; it is also an opportunity for Mr Parker to address some of the issues that have riled Islanders and sent social media into overdrive.
Take, for instance, the time it takes to get to and from St Malo – which is at least 20 minutes longer than Condor used to sail it in and one key criticism that a recent Scrutiny review picked up on.
Mr Parker said: “In the last 20 years, across the industry there has been a general reduction in speed and therefore increase in crossing times, which is partly down to the cost of fuel as well as the environmental impact.
“We want to set a time that we can realistically promise, which on average for St Malo, is one hour 55 minutes. Sometimes it is less than that, but we want to have a schedule we can stand behind, especially in the winter. As well as fuel and the environment, there is also a single berth available in St Malo which can be very congested. There is not much point running fast if we’re then going to arrive and then have to sit outside the port.
“In the medium term, our investment in a new fast craft in 2029 will probably be a hybrid vessel. We don’t think that full electrification is the right thing to do at this stage, but certainly some form of hybrid power will be used. That will allow us to run faster to and from France without the environmental impact.
“We also want to work with our partners in St Malo to find ways to shorten the time that people take to get on and off the vessel. Last year, we could only use one ramp out of two to load and discharge, which slowed everything down.
“Now we are on the main ramp there, that problem has gone. Last year, we were also looking at 06:30 departure slot times out of St Malo but this year, we have secured slots on dates which make it possible to have at least five hours on a day trip.”
Another controversial subject has been around freight, in particular the part of DFDS’s contract which specified how it is charged. At the insistence of the government, a flat-rate card was introduced with a fixed price per lane metre.
It is the only route on DFDS’s network that uses this model. One retailer told the Scrutiny review that the new way of charging had increased food prices by 2%.
Mr Parker said: “The flat-rate fair gives that equity and knowledge that anyone is competing on a like-for-like basis. It will be a conversation that I’m sure that will come up again, and if things need to change, then we are happy to have that discussion.
“It is unique on our network but Jersey is different in that it is a lifetime service and we are operating a regulated monopoly. The supply chain knows what the price is and can plan on that basis. Elsewhere is different because you have a competitive environment with other ports or other modes of transport.”
The reliability of services on an island dependent on imports will always be hotly discussed, especially during the foul weather of the winter months.
The lack of sailings this week was criticised by the owner of food distribution business Fungi Delecti, which – once again – sent Facebook wild.
Mr Parker said: “Our take on it is simple: we run our services and we evaluate bad weather. Ultimately, it is the master of the vessel who will make a decision about whether we sail or not.
“If he or she believes that they cannot sail safely, then the conversation moves on to ask if it is possible to move the departure earlier or later. If it isn’t then, yes, we will cancel. And when we cancel, we will always look to put on additional services if possible.
“Unfortunately, St Helier is difficult to come into in strong westerly winds and the tide adds another layer of complication.”
He added: “I absolutely understand that it is hugely frustrating for the supply chain; I shop in the same supermarkets as everyone else. We do have a morning and evening arrival, pretty much like it was when it was a two-island operation. That capacity provides quite a bit of flex in the system, and when we do have cancellations, we catch up pretty quickly. Of course, we want to run our ferries and no captain wants to be alongside but ultimately it is a safety decision and never a commercial one.”
Since starting last March, DFDS has purchased the Caesarea Trader off Brittany Ferries. The ship brought extra capacity and manoeuvrability until it suffered an onboard fire in February. It is currently in dry dock in Denmark and will return after her impromptu refit.
Other refits have not been reactive: £1.1 million is about to be spent on a full refurbishment of fast ferry Levante Jet in Dunkirk. Tarifa Jet also returned to St Malo yesterday after her winter refurb.
Mentioning other improvements, Mr Parker listed the ‘pet lounge’ on Stena Vinga, which had proved popular with 12,000 pet journeys in the first year. There are plans to extend it and convert two more cabins to make them pet friendly.
Another popular addition, he said, had been the premium lounge and enlarged café on the Levante Jet, which will also return in May with new seats.
There are also plans to make it easier for car passengers to ‘click and collect’ duty free goods without having to lug heavy purchases down to their vehicles.
Mr Parker said he was proud of DFDS’s investment back into the Jersey economy through, for example, using milk from Jersey Dairy, RFresh making all the onboard sandwiches and Rock Roasters providing the tea and coffee.
He said: “We have used 17,500 litres of Jersey milk in our first year which is a great first taste of the Island for visitors. It is great quality and been well received. We need to be part of the Jersey community, and this is a good way of getting that into the services we provide. We’ve invested more £1m into Jersey businesses over the first 12 months.”
He added: “It has been a steady progression since the start, as we have added things along the way, including day trips, the fact that foot passengers can take their pet to and from St Malo, our Islander scheme, extending daytrips to 24 hours – which also boosts hospitality in Jersey.”
Looking ahead, Mr Parker said that DFDS’s £300m investment in new boats was “hugely important” to the firm, which it had committed to in its ‘concession agreement’ with the government.
A new hybrid boat, which would use electricity around the ports, would save fuel costs, which are clearly at the forefront of people’s minds at the moment. Talking of that volatility, Mr Parker said that there would undoubtedly be an increase in DFDS’s fuel bill because of the war in the Middle East.
He said there would be a slight delay because of the way it purchased fuel but DFDS was already speaking to its freight customers about how prices might be passed on.
“We have to be open about it and say that these are real costs that we are facing, and we cannot absorb all of them,” he said. “We do what we can, but ultimately, we are going to have to share that pain until prices drop again.”
Mr Parker added that the firm had worked hard to develop its communications, including being part of a freight forum with the likes of Ferryspeed, its biggest customer, working closely with Ports of Jersey, the Chamber of Commerce and others; and well as improving the way it talks to passengers.
Talking to passengers, freight customers and other stakeholders is something Mr Parker often does in person since moving to the Island last year to lead the local operation.
With him came his wife, seven-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter and they have a home in St Peter. Outside of work, he is a huge sports fan. Originally from Devon, he is a Plymouth Argyle fan and also a close follower of cricket and rugby.
He has worked for DFDS for 20 years but before “falling into the ferry industry”, he was a journalist for a while, and even used to make stained glass windows.
He also enjoys photographing Jersey and will often use an image of the Island as his Teams photo – which often becomes a topic of conversation among colleagues across the DFDS network.
“A couple of times, people have asked if I’ve been to Mauritius, but it’s actually St Ouen’s Bay,” he said, with a glow of pride.
Summarising his journey so far, he said: “It has been difficult and stressful at times but through that period I have always been able to focus on the progress that has been made.
“The thing which has really helped me, from a personal point of view, has been the staff, including the 50 to 60 people we have in Jersey. Here, at the other ports and on board, they are so engaged and customer focused. It’s been really good fun to work with them as we try to make those improvements happen.”
