Sark Shipping vessel gets overhaul for busy summer overhaul

The company is currently preparing for the season by having one of its key passenger vessels undergo a major technical overhaul.

Managing director Mark Roffey said the vessel Corsaire de Sercq will receive a complete engine replacement, upgrading to modern FPT engines.

‘These new engines not only provide a more advanced platform but also allow for remote monitoring, enhancing operational efficiency and maintenance planning,’ he said.

‘This investment underscores our commitment to ensuring a reliable and efficient transport service for the island community and its visitors.’

The refit, which started in early February, is expected to take approximately two months. It also includes essential maintenance and a repaint of the vessel’s hull and superstructure.

Mr Roffey said he was looking forward to welcoming passengers back on the vessel this summer but it was too early to tell how busy a season it might be.

‘Most of our bookings come from the local market and tend to be made 48 hours before, when people have an idea of the weather,’ he said.

‘But we are certainly hoping to take advantage of the amount of visitors that Condor appear to be attracting from France.’

Economic Development is intending to support new ferry operator Islands Unlimited with £150,000 of taxpayers’ money to run a daily Guernsey-Jersey passenger service this summer.

Mr Roffey said this was probably good news for his company as it would bring more passengers from Jersey.

‘Again it is too early to tell the impact, but we have spoken to their operations director Captain Chad Murray to see how his service could benefit Sark,’ he said. ‘We need more details but we are certainly willing to work together and have been thinking about through ticketing to make life easier for passengers.’

The latest timetables from Condor had proved a headache for Sark with the daily sailing from Poole arriving at 5.15pm, just after the last Sark Shipping vessel had headed for home. However, Mr Roffey said he had good news for passengers who thought they might be forced to spend a night in Guernsey.

‘We have just announced a workaround on this and are working with a third party to make sure we can pick up Condor passengers,’ he said.

‘We have just announced daily sailings throughout the summer at 6pm, although tickets will be limited.’