Two ferry operators could bid to take on CI-UK route

One of these had a presence in Guernsey waters several weeks ago, when a DFDS vessel was used to carry out berthing trials.

The tests were carried out on behalf of the governments of Jersey and Guernsey as part of what the States said was ‘ongoing testing of contingency plans’.

A DFDS spokesman said the company had little to say at this point. ‘We are always looking for new opportunities and we will consider submitting a bid when the tender is published.’

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Swedish operator Stena Line said that it might be interested, too. ‘Stena Line is continuously looking into new business ventures and how to optimise our route network,’ she said. ‘But we do not comment on any specific tenders.’

A spokesman for P&O, which bid to operate CI ferry services when the route was tendered in 1998, said that the company ‘cannot comment on that topic at the moment’.

French operator Brittany Ferries is already a minority shareholder in Condor. A spokesman said that it would not make sense for it to look to bid on the route since it would, in effect, be bidding against itself.

Condor last month said it was confident that it was the right operator for the local route.

This followed the company saying that it had had a ‘challenging time’ in recent months, which led to the island’s governments confirming that they were looking into a new long-term ferry operating agreement.

Condor’s has an agreement with Jersey and memorandum of understanding with Guernsey to provide services until 2025. The States has not said when formal tenders for the route would be invited.