When will ferry service go to tender?

Condor could be replaced on the Channel Islands ferry routes when the current agreement expires in 2013.

Politicians want to know if a tendering process is being planned for both the northern and southern routes.

Jersey's Economic Development Minister, Alan Maclean, has political responsibility for the island's ferry services and has admitted that Condor has fallen short of expected levels of service.

The company has been dogged with engine problems on its fleet of fast ferries which operate from Jersey and Guernsey to the UK and France, and there are delays on longer services.

St John Deputy Phil Rondel is pressing Senator Maclean for some answers on whether or not he is progressing a full tendering process for both the northern and southern routes. The Deputy is looking for a time scale and wants to know if and when the process will be advertised.

(from CTV)

if jersey hadnt voted condor back in the last round of tendering severalyears ago we would have had P&O now..it was the larger island who wanted this overpriced ferry company to keepits licence and guernsey had nooption but to follow suit...it may be difficult now to go out to tender as which ferry company would tender and in the back of their minds they may be thinking whats the point look what happened last time..imo its time for condor to go they have held islanders to ransom in favour of visitors from the uk for long enough..

At one time we had a good ferry service with two full boats in every day .
the prices has gone up and the service has gone down.hope they get their act together before we loose all sea services to our islands.

Not sure who else would be interested. The open sea trip from the UK is a pretty tough ask for Fastcat boats, hence all the problems Condor are having. Conventional ferries would be more reliable, as the Clipper and Goodwill prove. ( Except when they catch fire ! )

P&O were interested last time as were brittany ferries..nonsense kingcole..there has been nomajor investment in the fast ferries for years they are old and worn out that is the problem..high prices for islanders and a third rate service.

I don't think it is about investment This', it's more about the suitability of the FastCat design to cope with open sea conditions. IE Not being able to operate at all in wave heights greater than 2 meters, which is not exactly uncommon. The speed they travel at gives the craft a severe bashing in any sort of waves. Irrespective of what Company is running the service.

I tend to agree with Kingcolemk. If the vessels are clapped out at fourteen years old, it proves that the demands of the routes are too much for them. Isn't it better to have a reliable, all-weather service by conventional ferry (approx. 4 hours to Weymouth) than a pot-luck service taking 2.5 hours... if it sails. This old girl did sterling service on the Weymouth - CI route, and still going strong in the Mediterranean at the ripe old age of 45. Moby Baby (formerly Earl Godwin / Svea Drott).

I agree with Deebay , what is the rush after all most peeps are on hols so what is an extra 2 hours on your trip (and you know you are going to get there) just sit back and enjoy the cruise . As for the report in the press yesterday i am not taken in by that at all , but if P&O are saying that who could blame them , you only got the states in both islands to blame for that , see shinny new boats we will have them , they had the chance to go with a large proved company but no we will go with Condor as we know the bloke , that's my opinion anyway.