Government received "additional legal advice" regarding ferry contract

Monday 04 November 2024

The Government has received legal advice regarding the future of the island's ferry services – but a final decision will not be made today.

Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said that the "complications created by the situation we find ourselves in are extensive", and confirmed that a "further announcement" is due tomorrow.

In a statement published this afternoon, Deputy Morel explained: “There have been further positive discussions today concerning our lifeline ferry services.

“We are considering the legal, commercial, and financial implications of the bids, including additional legal advice received today.”

Pictured: The competition is between incumbent Condor – which is now majority owned by Brittany Ferries – and Danish operator DFDS.

He added: “I understand the frustration of islanders that a decision has not yet been made, but the complications created by the situation we find ourselves in are extensive and we need to ensure we have all the information to make the correct decision.

“A further announcement will be made tomorrow [Tuesday 5 November].”

DFDS and Brittany Ferries, the parent company of Condor, are vying for the contract to provide lifeline sea links to Jersey and Guernsey.

Guernsey – which jointly purchased a new ferry with Condor and loaned the company £26m to prevent an undisclosed "potential emergency" occurring last year – unilaterally announced last Wednesday that it had taken the decision to "push ahead alone" with Brittany Ferries.

But Jersey's Government said it had "further questions" for the two frontrunners and held urgent meetings last Thursday to gain more detailed information relating to their financial stability.

Pictured: The States of Guernsey helped fund Condor's purchase of the Islander.

In a confidential memo to States Members leaked to Express, Deputy Morel said Jersey needed "to be satisfied that the company that delivers them is financially sustainable and able to invest in a new decarbonised fleet, without placing excessive risk on the people of Jersey".

On Friday, a carefully-worded statement from Government revealed that "concerns" which saw Jersey stop short of endorsing Brittany Ferries as the Channel Islands' new key ferry provider alongside Guernsey were "validated" after an emergency meeting where more financial information was shared.

On the same day, backbench politicians called for the Minister to arrange a special States Meeting so that the public can have greater "transparency". 

The current agreement with Condor runs out at the end of March.

It is not yet clear publicly if Jersey’s hands have been tied by the Guernsey decision, and whether sailings to and from the islands would only be viable with one operator serving both Jersey and Guernsey, north and south.