Boatowners suggest that Ports becomes a company
Turning Guernsey Ports into an incorporated business would offer greater certainty and security for boatowners concerned about potential future mooring fee increases, the Guernsey Boatowners Association president has said.
Nick Guillemette updated 85 GBA members regarding ongoing talks with ports and other stakeholders at the GBA’s AGM at La Villette Hotel.
In September, Ports, which is controlled by the States’ Trading Supervisory Board, outlined RPI-based mooring fee increases of 8.3% for 2025 – a marked reduction on hikes of between 20% and 30% originally intended.
However, higher fee rises are still mooted for 2026, and Mr Guillemette said that these, coupled with the planned introduction of a goods and service tax in 2027, would cripple the local marine industry and any future growth in leisure boating.
‘The 2025 rates were simply a sweetener to keep us quiet,’ he said.
‘We have recently received a response from ports saying that they have recognised our concerns and that they will recommend a similar, more modest increase in charges for 2026, but details of these won’t be shared until next autumn.
‘That’s 10 months away and we need to know now how much it is going to cost us to keep our vessels.’
He is calling for Guernsey to adopt a similar system to Jersey, where Jersey Ports is economically regulated by the Jersey Competition & Regulatory Authority.
‘The Guernsey Competition & Regulatory Authority does not have the power to act as an economic regulator where States departments are concerned,’ he said.
‘If STSB and the ports had been an incorporated business like Jersey Ports, the GCRA might have been able to assist us.’
He said that Jersey boatowners were able to see what mooring fee charges were going to be for the next five years, including any RPI-based increases, with these regulated by the JCRA.
‘I think their deal is increases of RPI plus 1.8%, so people know whether or not they will be able to afford what’s coming.’
He called for the GCRA’s powers to be extended to include States departments, warning that without its independence, all local consumers were potentially exposed to an 'abuse' of a monopoly position, whatever the product or service on sale.
Mr Guillemette, along with other GBA members and senior figures from Guernsey’s other marine groups, is set to present a petition fighting the increases to STSB president Peter Roffey on the steps of the Royal Court on Wednesday 11 December at 9am ahead of that week’s States meeting.
More than 1,100 people have signed the petition.
‘There has been so much turmoil among boat owners and marine traders over the past 18 months,’ he said.
‘If we are to bring some sense of stability to this once-thriving industry, worth approximately £25m. per year to Guernsey’s economy, now is the time for some sort of compromise which will hopefully give us hope for the future and encourage folk to continue boating.’
