Deputy Tom Binet voiced his views during a Question Time event hosted in Jersey called to address the cost-of-living crisis.
Freight was a focus of discussion and is a particular issue in Jersey since its new ferry deal with DFDS included a ‘flat rate card’ for freight – a political decision which, it is said, has driven up the cost of produce on the shelves for consumers in that island.
‘I’m not close to negotiations, but it would be very, very good if we could get the two freight companies into a room and see if we could broker a deal to have one carrier carrying all the Channel Islands’ freight,’ said Jersey’s Health minister.
‘Because if we’re going to exist with Guernsey for 20 years with two half-empty boats – I’ve travelled on DFDS a couple of times and the boat is empty and the staff are walking around doing virtually nothing. It’s a pretty pitiful state of affairs.
‘I don’t know if it is possible, but if there is a way of addressing that, that would be a good starting point.’
Joining him on the panel for the All Island Media event were Jersey’s Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham, Jersey Consumer Council chairman Carl Walker and Coop chief executive Mark Cox.
There was some criticism of Jersey’s decision to pursue its own tender and find a new operator after Guernsey backed Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries at the conclusion of the pan-island tender process. Mr Cox likened the result to Jersey having inflicted ‘self-harm’.
Deputy Binet admitted that it was a ‘very difficult situation’ for his political colleagues.
He added that the new contract ‘effectively put us in a position where we had to either take a very, very big risk on the one side or actually split the Channel and have two boats running up and down’.
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