Commodore Goodwill, the freight-only vessel, which was already out of service undergoing a month-long check in Spain, has sustained damage to a propeller and drive shaft.
The accident happened whilst the ship was in dry dock and will delay the Goodwill’s return to service until the damaged equipment has returned from Scandinavia, where it has been sent for repair. No timetable has been given for the Goodwill’s return.
The company is currently having to operate the Commodore Clipper, its freight and passenger ship, on Goodwill’s overnight pattern.
Condor’s CEO John Napton said the situation was very frustrating, but the company was working hard to minimise any inconvenience.
‘Every year we carefully plan our maintenance programme to ensure continuity of freight and passenger services to the islands, so the problems caused by the shipyard are infuriating,’ he said.
The Goodwill being off the route has meant the Clipper has regularly been sailing from Guernsey to the UK at 4am, a time unpopular with passengers.
The company has promised to add high speed capacity from the UK to cover the Clipper’s passenger commitments.
‘We do not want to make these changes and are aware of the seasonal weather, but are keeping Clipper on the nightly schedule to maximise the volume of lifeline freight supplies into the islands in the mornings,’ said Mr Napton.
‘Extra high speed sailings are being put on between Poole, Jersey and Guernsey to accommodate passengers originally booked on Clipper.
‘The autumn half-term is a busy travel
period and we recognise its importance in the calendar so through these measures, we are aiming to minimise disruption to everyone.
‘We will be proactively notifying passengers booked to travel on Clipper of the changes and transferring them to alternative sailings.’
The company has already confirmed that today's sailing of the Liberation from Guernsey to the UK has been cancelled due to forecasts of adverse weather.
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