DFDS put forward proposals in January to start a car ferry service arriving from Jersey on a Friday evening.
This would not return to Jersey but proceed to Portsmouth as part of a triangular route. A ferry from Portsmouth would then stop in Guernsey en route to Jersey on a Monday evening, allowing cars and passengers to return.
However, this was criticised as being of little use to Guernsey residents wishing to travel the other way.
Economic Development Committee vice-president Andrew Niles confirmed that a working group with representatives from both islands to look at inter-island offerings had now been set up but said Guernsey had not yet agreed to the proposed DFDS sailing.
‘This is a complex matter, and we are reviewing the proposal, its impact on existing ferry providers, and any operational constraints that the proposed schedules may impose, some of which fall outside standard port operating hours,’ he said.
‘At the heart of any decision must be the benefits to island residents and the potential for increased visitor traffic.’
Brittany Ferries currently sails between the islands on Wednesdays and the foot passenger-only Islands Unlimited ferry resumed daily services in March.
DFDS has previously operated some Monday sailings between the islands but currently is not offering tickets for any sailings until July and then intermittently until September.
Jersey politicians have previously criticised the DFDS timetable for a lack of inter-island connectivity, especially as it had made it far harder for people in Jersey competing in sports, needing vehicles to make the trip to Guernsey, particularly over weekends.
Guernsey sports associations, and particularly dog owners, wanting to get to Jersey for competitive dog shows, have also complained at the lack of a weekend ferry link.
Regular dog show entrant Derryn De Carteret launched a petition last February calling for the States of Guernsey and Jersey to push for an inter-island ferry service that would carry vehicles. She said she had not been to Jersey to compete since last July.
‘Islands Unlimited have been great in letting us take dogs over as foot passengers, but you can really only take one, and if you have a big dog even that is difficult,’ she said.
‘It is not helping any of the inter-island sports, and I know motor sports, equestrian and cycling all feel the same.
‘People in Jersey are equally frustrated. I’ve been banging on about the need for a better service for over a year but it all seems to fall on deaf ears.’
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