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Brittany Ferries has sought permission from Jersey's competition watchdog to become the majority shareholder in Condor.
A notice has been published by the Jersey Competition and Regulatory Authority that Bretagne Angleterre Irlande is attempting to buy shares from Condor Topco Limited, the joint venutre company that owns Condor.
The firm is seeking 22% of the share capital with an option to acquire 100% at a later date.
The French ferry operator was already a shareowner in Condor and this move would put it as the majority shareholder in the company, as the firm looks to play a bigger role in Condor’s operation.
‘‘We are pleased to confirm our intention to become the majority owner of Condor Ferries, pending approval from the Islands’ regulatory authorities, over the next few weeks,” said the Chief Executive of Brittany Ferries and Condor’s Interim-CEO, Christophe Mathieu.
“Brittany Ferries has the experience, expertise and scale, along with extensive knowledge of the transport sector and customer service to implement best practices, which ultimately will result in a better service for Condor’s passengers.
“This change demonstrates our commitment to the Islands, shows Brittany Ferries is adding strength and depth to the existing team and delivers continuity and resilience in the long term.
“We believe we operate exactly the right fleet for the Islands: a mix of conventional freight and passenger ferries for lifeline freight and travel for islanders, alongside the high speed vessels that are essential for supporting the visitor economies of Jersey and Guernsey.”
It comes as the Channel Islands are shopping for the next provider of the key ferry contract.
Condor is making a bid to hold onto the contract – with the previous CEO saying he was "confident" it remains the right operator – but is facing competition from DFDS.
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