Condor calls on the Arrow to target its freight backlog

Condor's other freight vessel Commodore Goodwill has struggled to cope over the last three weeks.

Charter boat MN Toucan started operating on Monday and, in an unprecedented move, the Arrow, pictured, has also been called in to help.

The Clipper is still in dry dock in Falmouth undergoing repairs after it scraped its hull on the seabed.

Condor ports and guests services director Captain Fran Collins said the company was committed to operating the islands' lifeline service.

Over the last few weeks there have been empty shelves in the supermarkets and shops and shortages of fresh produce.

Captain Collins said MN Toucan had eased the problems and Arrow should now increase capacity to cover the island's freight needs.

'We are continuing to work very closely with our freight customers to protect the supply chain to our islands,' he said.

'With their support, even before the arrival of our two charter ships, we had shipped 80% of expected freight and we'd like to thank our customers, colleagues and port operators, for their understanding and cooperation over the last couple of weeks.'