Guernsey names Brittany Ferries as preferred ferry operator

The Committee for Economic Development in Guernsey has selected Brittany Ferries as the preferredbidder to provide sea links for the island.
At this stage Guernsey and Jersey have not reached a shared view on how to proceed, but it follows a bidding process that’s been taking place over the last 10 months.
Guernsey’s preference remains a shared pan Channel Island service with Jersey, but they say they are “awaiting word from their Jersey partners” which they expect tomorrow (Thursday 31 October).
Deputy Neil Inder, President of the Committee for Economic Development, said: “Over the past 10 months we have undertaken a joint tender exercise with the Government of Jersey for the Island’s critical lifeline sea links.
“The tender process has been robust, and the Committee has reached an evidence-based conclusion. On that basis the Committee has decided unanimously to appoint Brittany Ferries as its preferred bidder, subject to further negotiations on some elements of the contract.
“At this stage Guernsey and Jersey have not reached a shared view on how to proceed. That is not for me to comment on, and I understand political discussions in Jersey are ongoing.
“All I can say at this stage is that while both islands share common objectives, agreement has not yet been reached on the best way to jointly deliver those objectives.”
He added: “The Committee has not taken the decision to push ahead alone at this stage lightly, but following the objective evaluation process Brittany Ferries’ bid was successful and we are committed to providing certainty to islanders as soon as we were able to do so.
“An arrangement will be put in place with Brittany Ferries which leaves the door open for Jersey if Jersey does decide to seek a different approach. This outcome is not a failure of the tender process. The process has enabled us to consider and test a number of different options and secure the best possible deal for islanders.
“If we do move to a Guernsey-only service from Brittany Ferries, the new arrangement would mean that the way that some services operate will be changed, but we will have the same freight and passenger capacity for our community, improved resilience in the fleet, and the benefit of Brittany Ferries’ expertise, willingness to innovate, and commitment to improved customer services.”
Brittany and Condor Ferries say they are “thrilled” at the announcement and that they “look forward to the Government of Jersey joining us in this initiative”.
However, by Wednesday evening, it seemed unclear when or if Jersey would be making a decision imminently.
The island’s Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel, said: “For 15 years, we’re going to have one provider. We need to know we can rely on that provider come what may.
“And I think that’s really where the problem was. Guernsey obviously didn’t think they needed any more information. In Jersey, I think quite rightly, we did feel we needed more information.”
It follows calls for an imminent decision to be made from tourism industry leaders who said an “unacceptable delay” was putting pressure on the sector.
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