P&O not interested in CI ferry market
Saturday 18th June 2011, 2:30PM BST.
A COMPANY that once fought to get the Channel Islands ferry route has confirmed it would have little interest in taking on the lifeline link now.
A P&O spokesman said the Channel Islands market was too small and fuel had become too expensive for the route to be profitable.
The ferry company came close to winning a tender to operate in the islands in 1998.
Eventually the States voted 30-20 in favour of Condor.
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Exactly my point, no other ferry company wants to operate here.
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The P&O horse bolted when Jersey opted for Condor in 1998. Also, P&O would probably have pulled out by now, as they have with other routes. Finally, I am not defending Condor, their service is expensive, untimely, and not fit for Channel Island needs, however suits UK to France passengers perfectly. For the record I am a local living in the UK and am force to fly to the islands this year to see my family, due to the ridiculous schedule Condor operates, and the fares.
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Why can’t the States buy or lease a couple of ferries and run a lifeline route? Bit like Aurigny.
Or maybe Sarnia Cherie can have a few seats fitted?
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And that is exactly why any threat to Condor ie the removal of their right to cross channel sailings is completely pointless.
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These comments by P&O make interesting reading.
Hypothetically speaking they beg the question what would have happened if P&O had won the contract in 1998.
Might we now be in a situation where they would be considering the viability of the route and possibly leaving us in the lurch?
Despite their shortcomings perhaps we should rethink our views and be grateful for Condor?
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P&O is a very different company to what it was back in 1998. It’s now owned by DP World, a Dubai owned logistics group, and now no longer operates any routes from Portsmouth. If P&O still had a south coast base they may well have been interested in the islands like they once were.
Conventional ferries are the way forward, and if they operated from Poole or Weymouth journey times would be shorter and more agreeable to that offered by the Clipper from Portsmouth, a port which is further east along the coast. Such conventional ships would have to operate at around 22 knots and offer more cabin berths than the Clipper and more high class catering outlets.
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I could have told you that already! P&O recently pulled their last ferry out of Portsmouth (Pride of Bilbao) to concentrate on the Dover Strait, North Sea and Irish operations. And of course Hoverspeed no longer exist (they were the other ferry license contender back in 1998). Anyone want to give Brittany Ferries a call?
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Glad to hear it. Condor doing a good job anyway. And as I’m not traveling till sept all the delays & engine problems will be a thing of the past. And as I’ve booked well in advance form uk it’s cost me next too nothing! Bring it on!! Keep up the good work Condor.
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Sean – Unfortunately Brittany are no use as they are in bed with Condor. Trans Manche Ferries or LD Lines anyone??
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Its good to see you can book a ferry well in advance and pay next to nothing. I booked 5 flights from Lon – Jsy for the Battle of flowers last year for 1 pound each & 14 pound Taxes, then 5 flights Jsy – Gsy for 1 pound each & taxes. It was a nice cheap holiday all the way from Oz
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Good on you Nathan I wish you the best of luck and all those other people who will booking on Condor.
I do hope all the delays & engine problems will be a thing of the past, something which we’ve all been hoping for for years.
But one things for sure is that rough weather will never be a thing of the past. So lets keep our fingers crossed for you.
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I like the fast ferries, if the weather is calm they are fast. But you can’t have high speed without using a lot of fuel and for that reason I think the days of the fast ferry are numbered. It makes you wonder if the high fares we pay now are partly due to the amount of fuel the fast ferries use?
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It’s a good point about Condor having stuck with the Channel Islands routes through thick and thin whilst other ferry companies may have deserted the islands in times of trouble.
With the exception of Brittany Ferries, it seems that with all the other cross channel ferry companies they either give up routes at the drop of a hat or it doesn’t take them long to go out of business.
I would steer clear of LD Lines because it sounds like it is pretty fickle with its cross channel routes.
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I like the Jersey Fast Ferry, and when you get there they have bigger Buses as well, bargin.
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@Roy Guerno – that is the quote of the century – fantastically insightful statement!!
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I for one wish we would get another ferry company. Condor have had it there own way for far too long and the service we have to endure year after year seems to be getting worse each year !!!
They are nearly always running late, engine trouble, don’t tell you when you leave the UK ports that they are only running on 3 engines and that instead of going directly to Guernsey you will be going via Jersey !!!
The prices stink!! They offer better deals from the UK to Guernsey/Jersey but not the same the other way round.
I hope they loose this route and we get somebody else in .. the fast ferries are not built to withstand the conditions that they have here – don’t forget they are sea trialed in Australia & New Zealand.
Bring back the slower boats that will get you there in 4 hours but guaranteed and lets get rid of these Vomit Comets!!
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Just my useless comment
For travel on 3rd October return 7th October.
Total Price 220.00 GBP
Amount Due 220.00 GBP
Add hotel and the cost is ?
Now book flights form UK to Spain and + hotel and all inclusive food and drink for less than £500.
No choice really is it.
+
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Dessie..do you think the sea is so very different down Australia way then, it still goes up and down with the moon phases and still gets rough when the wind blows.
Condors problems have nothing to do with the sea conditions or tidal harbours. It is more to do with schedules that leave little time for involved maitenance and no winter layup to carry out major work.
I would think Condor may be wishing they had taken the ships out of service for a few days each to fix the problems quickly rather the prolong the agony and service disruption as they have done.
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No disrespect UK resident and I agree with you on the hols abroad but this is about CI residents getting a poor service from Condor either to the UK or France, schedules are terrible.
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What we need is a bridge to France, via Jersey. We can do away with ferries altogether then!
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Why are C&E so pro Condor?
Condor staff/management maybe doing their best but the vessels are not fit for purpose.The car decks are so cramped they should be looked at by Health & Safety.I have had to struggle to exit my car via the passenger door.I saw a young lad in a 2CV having to climb out through the roof opening.A guy in a Roller could not get out at all. How he did so in the end i don’t know.It is most unsatisfactory but our States powers that be just don’t care or they never travel on Condor so have no idea what they are supporting.For the high cost of the fare I expect better than cattle class facilities.The contract MUST go out to tender and a much higher vessel specification must be specified.
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I like the bit about Condor sticking with the route through thick and thin. Firstly its Condors customers who’ve had the thick and thin. Condor wouldn’t be operating if it wasn’t making a profit.
And where else would they have survived with such an unreliable service for well over a decade. They’d have gone out of business years ago if they’d had to compete with other competent ferry companys.
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Again locals with the opinion that the World begins at L’Ancresse and ends at Pleinmont making ill informed comments.
Unfortunately for the multi national companies who operate ferry routes the World is a much larger place.
A few previous posters have said we should thank our lucky stars for Condor, and I am one. If the little islanders do get rid of Condor, just who will take their place and what sort of service will we get??
Dessie and the rest just be careful what you wish for.
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DA666 my point is these boats were tested in Australia and New Zealand they were not worked tirelessly day after day through the rough sea conditions that we have here without proper maintenance!! And NO I don’t think the sea conditions in Australasia are as bad as they are here day after day some weeks!! No comment on the other points I make?
I still stand by what I said these boats are useless for the conditions that we have here in the Channel Islands .. you cannot even guarantee them running smoothly in the summer. Bring in a new company with conventional ferries that can do the job all year round and whatever weather!! 4 hours journey is better than no journey or a very delayed journey !!
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Pete,
Condor only stick with the route as long as the private equity firm that owns them is content with the return on their investment. Private equity generally requires a substantial rate of return otherwise their money is best used elsewhere. That also explains why the fares are so high. They owe us nothing, they are not owned locally, thus we owe them nothing. As thereare non resident shareholders any dividends from the profits are also tax free 0% so the States don’t even get income tax from Condor.
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Town dweller, bravo, you make an excellent point. A ferry service is necessary for the islands, perhaps it would have been wise of condor to take their vessels out of service for a thorough going over at regular intervals to improve efficiency. However, were this to occur I suspect that a mountain of complaints would be aired as to why there were no ships running on a particular day.
Charlie, the manner in which vehicles are packed on the vehicle decks is not unlike a number of other ferries – those to the Isle of Wight, Ireland,the Scottish Islands, and Europe via East coast English ports. Indeed the Commodore Clipper and the Goodwill are rather easier to deal with than many others. Vehicle decks are cargo areas, one expects tight packing, ratchets and ratcheting points on the floor etcetera. If it is occasionally necessary to employ novel means to exit one’s vehicle (with a damaged leg) then what of it? They are parked no closer together than those in white rock car park.
Conditions aboard, i’ve found over frequent trips on the Portsmouth and Weymouth ships, are generally favourable. Clean well maintained public areas, helpful staff (though should I wish to carry out an extended conversation with many my Russian would need brushing up). Over twelve to fourteen crossings a year for the last few years I have encountered only one serious delay – a fast ferry cancelled due to harsh weather in december. Next morning sailed on the Clipper with the cargo drivers from portsmouth, it rolled villanously for twelve or so hours but we got in. Delays on public transport are hardly uncommon – look at air services!
On the cost of fares however, I have several objections. The cost of shipping small vans which condor class as commercial vehicles is horiffic – whereas the same vehicle, fitted with windows and classed as a minibus, costs a third of the price. Fares to and from Jersey are also somewhat pricey – £135 return for one man and his minibus? Bit steep what!
There is however one point of major annoyance – the £9.95 compulsory surcharge for seats on overnight ships levied on top of the ticket price. According to a very helpful staff member at the info desk, this was because they were required to allocate a seat to every passenger. If so, why the charge?
To cut an overlong comment short, most of the time Condor are no less efficient than most other car ferries – if you don’t like them then don’t ever try alderney shipping!
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Chris my point was that Condor are not doing anything for anybody but themselves.
As far as owing anything goes yes I think Condor do owe, they owe the people who pay a high price for their service a service which reflects that high price. Its called customer service not servicing the customers for unearned profit.
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The fast ferry should be called ‘Goeswhenready’ – I went on a day sailing to Jersey to find that it sailed 30 minutes before the started time and left Jersey 30 minutes again before the departure time stated on their timetable. ???
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I was lucky enough to have a coffee on board the slow boat to Portsmouth with the first officer.
The truth he told me is its all about the freight,that is where we make our money and do very well indeed.
Passengers are second or even third in line, and freight does not mind being a few hours late and as most know costs an arm and a leg to ship.
Davey West.
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I bet Brittany Ferries would be interested in the route. They operate to Brittany (St.Malo) but like the Flybe refusal on interisland route the island prefers monopolies – hence the prices are artificially high! Guernsey is and always has been a pricey destination as it won’t address the issues. Buying Aurigny prevented competion from the likes of BMI BABY who run reasonably priced fares there, but then the runway is bigger. Strange we keep our runway too short??? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that it’s not in Aurigny’s interest to see larger operators servicing Guernsey (or am I being sceptical LOL?). Giving greater opportunity to those ALREADY operating routes this way is the key, it makes sense to utilise an expanding / exiting market base. If larger operators (on an existing French route)were given the chance I’m sure would relish the idea to divert slightly.
Rates from the Uk to the islands and France have traditionally been lower than those from Guernsey….WHY? “… because the market is greater” has been Condor’s regular response. Well utilise that market BETTER States of Guernsey!! Dropping of ferry passenger numbers points to lower tourism and a decline for Guernsey’s economy. Hence closed shops and no one in town spending. Anyone visiting Jersey can’t help but notice a vibrant shopping centre and market. IT’S CHEAPER TO GET THERE FOR VISITORS!!! Wake up Guernsey.
Things will never change…..
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Bear in mind that even if P&O say they’re not interested, they may still be – in August, easyJet said it would be unlikely that they would ever fly from London Southend Airport. Earlier this month, they opened a base there! So don’t take everything these companies say at face value.
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