'States could run a lifeline ferry service if Condor goes'
THE States of Guernsey could potentially make money if it was to take over the island's lifeline sea links, according to a senior States member.
As the Commerce and Employment Department updated a business audience yesterday on its activity programme, Deputy Lyndon Trott stepped into the debate over the island's ferry services, claiming that they could represent an opportunity for the government.
'The idea that a States-owned model is going to cost the taxpayer is ludicrous,' he said.
Although Deputy Trott, a member of C&E, did not suggest that the States should look to oust Condor Ferries from the route, he said it would be possible to achieve a financial return through a States-owned, though not States-run, operator.
He said that Jamesco, the States trading company established to hold the fuel tank ships which service the island and other ports, was now making some £500,000 profit a year. And Aurigny, he said, could be profitable if it was not burdened by the States to operate some loss-making services.
