Guernsey Chief Minister visits Jersey to discuss sea links

Monday 07 February 2022

Guernsey’s Chief Minister will be in St. Helier today to discuss “a range of issues including sea transport links” – weeks after blindsiding Jersey’s Government with a plan to buy a new ferry for Condor.

Ahead of the talks, Guernsey’s Policy & Resources Committee (P&R) said it was continuing to negotiate on its objective of investing in a new ferry to serve the Bailiwick – at an estimated cost to the public purse of £15m to £20m.

But the Committee would not be drawn on whether it is getting any closer to completing a deal.

The idea of buying a ferry and leasing it to Condor was first floated at a Scrutiny hearing in Guernsey on 12 January. The following day, Chief Minister and President of the P&R Committee, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, confirmed the move, noting that "a conventional ferry would add support to Condor’s current cluster of ships, which would give more security and an enhanced service to the island.”

Deputy Ferbrache said that a contract with Condor “could well be done by the end of January” and that “funding is being looked at in the next 10 to 12 days”.

News of the "joint venture" came as a surprise to Jersey, whose Economic Development Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham, described it as “unexpected” given that the islands had apparently been "working closely" on bolstering sea links.

Now, three-and-a-half weeks later, negotiations appear to have progressed less quickly than the Committee would have liked. However, P&R seems to remain firmly committed to the policy of investing in a ferry.

Pictured: The Policy & Resources Committee remains positive about a deal to invest an estimated £15m to £20m in a new ferry.

On Friday evening, P&R told Express: “The Committee isn’t yet able to comment further. As per the previous statement it provided, the negotiations are ongoing and being conducted in commercial confidence and so it’s not possible to disclose more detail, but more information will be provided when an agreement is reached.”

A few hours earlier, Jersey's Government announced that “senior politicians from Jersey and Guernsey are meeting in Jersey on Monday 7 February to discuss a range of issues, including sea transport links”.

The Committee has said that it does not require States’ approval to invest in a ferry because the vessel would provide a financial return and therefore could be purchased through a States’ investment fund rather than by using the capital reserve which pays for most capital projects.

Some deputies are known to want a States’ debate on the Committee’s plans to invest in a new ferry and on long-term sea links policy generally. They have been in talks about whether to submit a Requête to force those issues onto the floor of the States’ Assembly.

However, the normal deadlines have now passed for proposals to be submitted for debate at either of the next two States’ meetings – on 16 February and 30 March. This means that securing a debate this month or next month is now not fully in the hands of the would-be requérants (Requête signatories).