What next for Condor? Q&A with Lyndon Farnham

Tuesday 05 January 2016

Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham is the politician with responsibility for the lifeline freight/passenger service with Condor.

After a year that saw the company beset by delays and cancellations, he has now called for a major review that he says could see changes to their service level agreement with the States of Jersey.

Here's a Q&A with the man in charge...

Q - What’s going on with Condor?

A - One of the actions open to us is to call for a comprehensive service level review. I have pulled that forward and it starts this month. That will examine their service levels and their operational capability and it will make recommendations for the future. I think basically that the position is unsustainable, both for Condor and for the Channel Islands. It has been a very unfortunate and unlucky start for the Liberation and it has had an impact on all of their services. When Liberation is out of service is means that all of the other vessels have to be rescheduled which causes its own logistical challenges.

Q – What concerns you most – the passenger or freight service?

A - Credit where credit is due, they have got the freight through, and they have started replenishing the shops and supermarkets. The part that we need to be concerned about is the passenger and vehicle service.

Q – What can the review achieve? You’re not in a position to force them to invest are you?

A - Ultimately, it will be a decision for Condor, but the agreement we have in place means that there is a ‘get out clause’, but it means either party paying a large sum of money, and because of that we are committed to ensuring that Condor do the right thing.  Condor do have a lot of money invested in this.

Q – How have the delays and cancellations affected their reputation, do you think?

A - I think that time is running out for them. They are losing the confidence of the travelling public and they are going to have to work very hard to get it back. We want to help them, we want nothing more than a reliable and appropriate ferry service. It is particularly important now because we are now seeing very promising signs for the growth of tourism and the visitor economy.

Q – Are there alternatives for Jersey?

A - I think, being realistic, there is not an awful lot of shipping companies that are interested and available to service the Channel Islands. It is not as if we could cancel the contract and start with a new company the following day. 

Q – Are they keeping to the terms of the service level agreement that they signed with the States?

A - Despite the delays and cancellations Condor are still operating within the remit of their service level agreement. It might be that the review will recommend that the agreement is amended, with the approval of both parties. There is not currently a facility for financial penalties in the service level agreement with Condor, which is published online.

Q – There’s an impact here not just on the company, but also on the wider economy though, isn’t there?

A - The impact on Condor as a company will be far greater than the travelling public. There is competition for them, people can fly instead. It will force a lot of people to consider not travelling by sea, but travelling by air instead. That is a danger to all of us, especially as we are trying to rebuild the visitor economy and if it’s not addressed, it is going to get worse. I am absolutely determined to get Condor in a position where this is not an issue.