'Better fenders needed', says Condor after hit
CONDOR has called for modern fendering in Guernsey, Jersey and Poole harbours, following the Liberation's crash into the quay in high winds in March.
An internal report into the incident – which saw the vessel taken out of commission for a week, just a day after it came into service – blamed the crash on the master using an automatic manoeuvring system to try and berth the vessel in high winds, as well as the fendering around Guernsey Harbour.
Condor's operations executive director Captain Fran Collins said the vessel's crew were highly experienced, but accepted that a manual mode rather than an automatic one could have been used that day, as winds were gusting.
'We've made quite a number of recommendations,' she said.
'These include continued assessment and fine-tuning of the manoeuvring system.'
Capt. Collins said similar fendering, which uses rubber mounts on steel piles, was also in place in Jersey and Poole harbours, but it was not ideal for the new vessel.
