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A 10-year partnership has been agreed between Portsmouth International Port (PIP) and Condor Ferries, to continue providing passenger and freight services to the Channel Islands.
It comes as the recently purchased Condor Islander sits in Santander, waiting to make the final leg of its trip from New Zealand to the English Channel.
The States of Guernsey lent Condor £26million to buy the new boat, after an unknown emergency forced the Civil Contingencies Authority to convene and direct Policy & Resources to facilitate the loan and spend £3million of public money on the ferry.
While the Committee continues to be grilled on the purchase, a service level agreement between Guernsey and Condor has yet to be made public.
Meanwhile, PIP has released a media statement indicating that the new 10-year partnership will ensure “essential freight can continue to flow to businesses and residents based in the Channel Islands”.
"I'm delighted that we've signed this 10 year agreement with one of our longest standing customers. We are proud to play our part in providing these essential lifeline ferry service to the Channel Islands,” said Business Development Manager at PIP, Ian Palacio.
"With the port's excellent location right next to the UK's motorway network, we look forward to working closely with Condor Ferries to continue to boost trade and tourism between the UK and the Channel Islands."
The news has also been welcomed by Condor’s CEO, John Napton, who said: “We are naturally very pleased to conclude this agreement as it secures Condor’s priority services to the Islands from Portsmouth for the foreseeable future.”
It’s currently unclear how this recent development feeds into the ongoing negotiations between the States of Guernsey and Condor. The President of P&R, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, said at the recent British Irish Council meeting that both Guernsey and Jersey would be meeting within the next few weeks to discuss agreements between the islands and the ferry service.
Express has reached out to the States of Guernsey for comment on the recent announcement from Portsmouth.
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