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Condor CEO is demanding that Jersey and Guernsey's governments confirm whether any of the other bidders for the Channel Islands' key ferry contract were intending to use their vessels.
After telling media yesterday that the operator was "surprised and disappointed" by Jersey's request to extend its contract by seven months while the heavily delayed selection process continues, Condor and Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu has now released a letter sent to the civil servants in charge of the tender process seeking to understand the differences in the two islands' 'scoring' processes.
He said Brittany Ferries was "concerned" about several elements of the joint procurement process, in addition to social media commentary, and the implications of Richard Corrigan, the leader of the process on the Jersey side, having to step away at a late stage after mistakenly appearing to express a preference for other bidder DFDS in an online poll.
Pictured: The letter sent to senior civil servants in Jersey.
The letter continued: "Notably Deputy Morel stated the process was not finished whereas the States of Guernsey said the process was finished...
"As a bidder, we are entitled – before determining our position regarding yesterday's announcement – to understand, also as part of good governance of the RFP process, the following:
Was the scoring from both Islands done in a joint process?
Were the evaluation and moderation undertaken jointly?
Did both SROs agree that the scoring and evaluation were concluded, and if so, when?
Did both the final submissions pass all the pass/fail decisions?
If not, who failed which bid on which decisions?
Did any other bidders put forward a bid based on the deployment of vessels owned by
other parties, including Condor and/or Brittany Ferries?"
Speculation over which vessels DFDS would use, if successful, has been rife on social media.
In April, DFDS said that it had entered into an agreement with Tasmanian ferry manufacturer, Incat, to conduct a design study for a 72-metre-long hybrid vessel – with the option of converting it to a fully-electric craft. It came just hours ahead of its pitch to officials in Jersey.
It is not known which other vessels DFDS have proposed using. The operator previously said it would not comment on the tender process while it was still active.
Deputy Morel's opposite number in Guernsey, Deputy Neil Inder, said fleet availability had been key in Guernsey's decision to "push ahead alone" and unilaterally announce Brittany Ferries as its preferred provider, throwing the inter-island process into disarray.
"Really a lot of it was down to the mobilisation of the fleet. The fleet actually exists. DFDS didn't have a fleet that it could mobilise," he told Express last week.
"If the choices are so close, and you've got to look for other reasons as well, and the other reason was 'they've got boats, you haven't'."
Pictured: Christophe Mathieu took over the role of Condor CEO on an interim basis from John Napton in February.
The latest update comes just 24 hours after Deputy Morel made a thinly veiled swipe at the financial health of Condor while speaking at the Jersey Farming Conference yesterday morning.
He told the audience: "There are really good reasons for what I'm doing, and all I can say to you is that I'm doing this to protect us and our island. That's why I'm doing it. Please bear with me. Please, trust me."
He said he was unable to say more than that for legal reasons.
Condor and Brittany Ferries declined to respond directly to those remarks when contacted by Express.
As previously reported by Express, Condor Ferries posted a £1.4 million loss from March 2022 to March 2023, and more recent reports on the accounts of Condor UK Holdings Limited – the investment company under which Condor Ferries sits – showed that the winning the tender from March 2025 onwards is “fundamental” to the operations of the company and the wider group.
In fact, the independent auditors said the ongoing process "represents a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt on the Company and the Group's ability to continue as a going concern" – in short, its ability to survive.
However, Deputy Morel's counterpart in the States of Guernsey – which previously helped Condor buy a boat due to a potential "emergency" which has never been disclosed – said he had no concerns about the financial health of the island's chosen provider.
Follow Express for updates...
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Government received "additional legal advice" regarding ferry contract
Has the fog lifted? Talks continue on future of island's ferry routes
Financial information confirms Minister's ferry fears – but what are they?
"They've got boats, you haven't" – Guernsey shares what clinched ferry decision
Confidential memo sheds light on Jersey's ferry hesitation
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