A ferry contract for Jersey may now be further away, as an announcement from Guernsey yesterday (5 November) complicates matters further.

Guernsey said it was pressing ahead with an independent ferry contract with Condor, which is majority-owned by Brittany Ferries, separate from the joint tender process. 

The island's Economic Development Deputy Neil Inder said ministers were in the process of 'finalising contractual obligations' as the ferry company finalises their schedule, which could be released in the next 10 days.

READ MORE: Brittany Ferries could publish Guernsey schedule in mid-November

Jersey's Economic Minister Kirsten Morel has said Guernsey's announcement creates further complications for his island:

"The latest statement from Guernsey would indicate they are no longer abiding to the joint procurement process, though they have not formally clarified that.

"The tender process was carried out jointly with Guernsey with a joint invitation to tender the document issued, a joint market-testing phase and a joint scoring and evaluation of bids and submissions, which are also subject to a subject joint moderation.

"The complications created by this situation are definitely extensive, and I'm really sorry that is taking time, but they need to be considered."

The Minister said Jersey is now seeking further legal advice as it works towards making a decision as to which ferry service, Condor or DFDS, will run freight and passenger ships from March 2025. 

With Guernsey potentially getting its ferry timetable my the middle of this month, Deputy Morel says he's extremely conscious of making the right decision for Jersey: 

"We must make the right long-term decision for Jersey and that's why we've got to get this right.

"This means full consideration of our community and business relationships, various local trade bodies and also our relations with Normandy and Brittany. 

"These are all in our considerations and particularly the need to publish summer timetables so the tourist economy can benefit from bookings for next year. There is no question we are thinking about all of these things."