Mooring fees set to rise 8.3% under new STSB proposals
MOORING fees for local boats are now in line for an 8.3% increase from April – a dramatic reduction on hikes of between 20% and 30% intended originally.
New proposals released yesterday by the States’ Trading Supervisory Board – as part of suggested tariffs at the harbours and airports for 2025 – will now go out to consultation for the next four weeks.
Ongoing above-inflation rises in mooring fees have angered many of Guernsey’s boat owners in recent months. The Guernsey Press reported only on Thursday on the boat owners’ campaign featuring in a UK magazine.
Guernsey Ports, an arm of the STSB, said it would be writing to boat owners inviting their feedback on the latest revised increase recommended to mooring fees of RPI (5.3%) plus 3%.
‘This is significantly less than the provisional estimates for year two of the financial transformation plan published by Guernsey Ports last year and reflects ongoing stakeholder engagement and receptiveness to customer feedback,’ said the ports’ managing director, Colin Le Ray.
He added that as well as inviting comments on the increase generally, the ports would ask moorings holders to comment on whether they would prefer a flat across-the-board increase for all vessels or for the increase to be weighted more towards larger vessels.
Work has already been undertaken at St Peter Port Harbour to improve facilities and this will continue with what was described as ‘much-needed improvements in leisure marine facilities over the next five years’.
It has been suggested that the increase in mooring fees for visiting boats should range from 2.5% to 12%, depending on the size of the vessel.
Another proposal would see commercial ferry passenger charges on routes linking the island with the UK and France rise by 74p per passenger, to £5.39, and charges for inter-island passengers go up by 32p per adult, to £1.63.
STSB has asked the ports to become self-funding, rather than requiring transfers from States general revenue, and they are expecting to halve their operating deficit this year, to about £1.4m., before any capital investments are taken into account.
However, the need for extensive capital investment was said to ‘strongly influence’ the need for more revenue.
The latest five-year routine capital investments programme, covering 2025-2029, identifies 90 routine capital projects totalling £40m. across both ports.
About £22m. of that sum relates to harbour projects, including £4m. routine investment in the marinas.
In addition, there are plans for a multimillion-pound replacement of the gates in the QE2 Marina.
Mr Le Ray said the amount of capital investment coming up exceeded what could reasonably be funded through boat owners’ fees.
‘It is a matter we will be taking to the States in the coming months,’ he said.
The £33m. in transfers received by the ports from general revenue since 2020 helped offset a big fall in passenger-related income as a result of the pandemic.
Passenger numbers have recovered gradually, but at the end of July this year they were still 16% below pre-pandemic levels across the ports.
Mooring fee increases would come into effect from 1 April 2025.
