Governments paid for DFDS' berthing trials
THE States has paid for three berthing trials carried out by the international ferry firm DFDS, Condor’s main rival for Channel Island ferry services.
But the cost of two trials carried out by Condor and parent company Brittany Ferries were met by the company itself.
The ferry companies are currently locked in a battle to win the ferry contract, with news expected any day.
Both have conducted trials in both Guernsey and Jersey in recent months since last December. But only one has had financial backing from both Guernsey and Jersey.
‘The States of Guernsey and Government of Jersey have jointly met the costs of berthing trials for Finlandia Seaways, Seven Sisters and Mistral,’ a States spokesman confirmed.
‘The berthing trials for these vessels were requested by the States of Guernsey and Government of Jersey as part of ongoing contingency planning in the event of any disruption to the incumbent operator’s services.
‘These berthing trials were conducted to test the operational parameters of our harbours and to ensure resilience in the Channel Islands’ supply chain.’
Both the States and Jersey’s government have refused to confirm how much the trials had cost, and what had been paid for. It said that ‘publishing the financial information could affect the competitive position of the States of Guernsey in commercial activities and compromise the commercial confidences of a third party’.
Condor, which already operates the Liberation, Islander, Clipper, Voyager and Goodwill services into the islands from France and the UK, has also been trialling some of the Brittany Ferries fleet, without any financial support.
