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Concerns over a possible conflict of interest at the top levels of Government were raised yesterday after it emerged that the most senior civil servant in the Economy Department had selected DFDS in an online poll asking who they want to take over the island’s key ferry contract.
Three major ferry operators have been reported to have put themselves forward to win the tender, including the incumbent, Condor Ferries, whose current agreement is due to end next year.
Danish shipping giant DFDS confirmed its intention to secure the contract in April, and Irish Ferries has also submitted a bid.
Pictured: The DFDS vessel Seven Sisters was in Jersey earlier this month for a berthing trial.
Both Condor and DFDS have conducted berthing trials in Jersey in recent months – with the latest taking place earlier this month.
The final say on who should win the contract will be a joint decision by Jersey and Guernsey's governing politicians, who Express understands have differing views on what elements should be prioritised.
Jersey's Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel assured in September that an agreement was in place for both islands to have "an entirely equal say" over the new service provider.
"While securing the right outcome carries a very high political priority, the work is lead and undertaken by officials who will make an objective, evidence-based recommendation to me and my counterpart in Guernsey for final political approval in October," Deputy Morel previously explained.
But the objectivity of the senior official leading the department overseen by Deputy Morel – Richard Corrigan – was called into question yesterday.
Pictured: A poll in the Condor Ferries User Group asked, "Who do I want to be awarded the Ferry Contract?".
A "straw poll" on the Condor Ferries User Group – a 10,400-strong Facebook forum where Channel Islanders share information and opinions about the running of the operator – asked, "Who do I want to be awarded the Ferry Contract?".
Condor and Brittany Ferries took 60% of the nearly 600 votes, while DFDS had a 39% share.
A 'Richard Corrigan' was among the 200 to back the latter, which Express has since confirmed to be the Economy Department Chief, whose department is running the process.
It's understood that Mr Corrigan claims this was a mistake – however, the Government is yet to respond to a request for comment.
The successful bidder is still expected to be announced this month.
Business leaders have warned of any delays in concluding the process, saying that this could be detrimental to tourism bookings for 2025.
"Just to remind you: the current ferry tender is a decision that will rest on Jersey and Guernsey agreeing on who is awarded the contract – and the history of both islands marching in-step on transport decisions is not great," Chamber CEO Murray Norton wrote in a recent column for Connect.
"The players are big players in the market, which is good – Brittany Ferries, DFDS and Irish Ferries. To be clear, Chamber is agnostic as to who should get the tender and are not party to what the requirements are or what the various tenders contain. Chamber just want whoever can provide the best service for the island and for the economy.
"One thing those in the visitor industries know is that a fast ferry service is essential. The short-break market needs a fast ferry operation and any hiatus in that provision would be very challenging for our 2025 tourism bookings."
There is much riding on the result for Condor, whose future appears to be contingent on whether the company wins the tender, as Express recently revealed.
Notes on the accounts of Condor UK Holdings Limited – the investment company under which Condor Ferries sits – filed with Companies House showed that winning the tender from March 2025 onwards is "fundamental" to the operations of the company and the wider group.
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