Ferry sale could fund UK route plans

HD FERRIES has played down fears that it is pulling out of the Channel Islands.

A spokesman said that the firm might sell its ferry, HD1, to fund a service from the islands to the UK, a spokesman has confirmed.

But the operator's primary focus at present is to try to charter HD1 out for the winter months. It has long been known that HD Ferries hopes to introduce a northern route and spokesman Phil Jones admitted a new vessel would be needed for that.

'We are actively exploring chartering the ship out elsewhere for the winter, maybe to the southern hemisphere, but we are not ruling out selling HD1,' he said.

'But if we were to do so, we would not until we had arrangements in place to buy another ship.'

Adverts have been circulated in the industry and HD1 has been valued at 12.5m. euros (about £10m.).