Ferry boss surprised after bid turned down

The boss of a ferry firm has written to Jersey's chief minister to express his concerns after an initial bid to run the island's services was not accepted.

Brittany Ferries chairman Jean-Marc Roué told Deputy Lyndon Farnham he was surprised a bid from Condor, which is owned by the company, had failed.

He said the firm had submitted a bid in "good faith" to continue serving the island and it would respond to a new Jersey-only tender process.

Sustainable Economic Development Minister Deputy Kirsten Morel, who is overseeing the tender process, said Condor's bid failed on the age of its fleet and the firm's financial situation. The BBC has contacted the Government of Jersey for comment.

Jersey's government had offered Condor a seven-month extension to its current ferry contract, but this was rejected by the company.

In his letter, Mr Roué said he was surprised the initial bid had been turned down and wanted to respond to "damaging comments" he thought had been made by the States of Jersey and in media reports.

"The company I chair exists because its only guide is customer satisfaction," he wrote.

"The financial benefits of our activities are totally reinvested in the company.

"For example, we are in the middle of the largest fleet renewal process in our history with five new generation ships, including two powered by cleaner hybrid LNG-electric technology."

A joint tender process had been launched by Jersey and Guernsey to find a firm to run ferry services to the islands until 2040.

The States of Guernsey confirmed last month it had chosen Brittany Ferries as its preferred bidder.

It said negotiations with the firm were "progressing well" and the 2025 schedule was set to be published shortly.

Deputy Neil Inder, President of the Committee for Economic Development, said he was troubled by recent comments about Condor.

He said: "I’ve been concerned about public commentary in relation to Condor’s prior financial challenges.

"I consider this somewhat of a red herring, given Condor’s financial issues at the end of 2023 were well known and, importantly, occurred when it was owned by a different company – Columbia Threadneedle.

"No funding was provided by the States of Guernsey at the time and Brittany Ferries subsequently became the majority shareholder of Condor, bringing increased financial security," he added.

Along with Condor's bid, Mr Morel said a tender from DFDS had failed due to a "technical, legal" issue.

A new tender process, which aims to reach a decision by the end of November, is under way.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].