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The former MV Straitsman has left New Zealand, to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to its new role as the Condor Islander in the Channel Islands.
A New Zealand news website has reported that the former Bluebridge ferry was leaving at midday on Tuesday to start a seven week crossing.
Now rebranded as the Condor Islander, it will pass through Papeete in French Polynesia, the Panama Canal and across the Atlantic Ocean. On arrival in British waters, the new Condor ferry will go into dry dock for two months before starting services between the islands, UK and France.
Having been bought by Condor Ferries and the States of Guernsey, the vessel will be used on services between the Channel Islands, the UK and France from later on this year alongside the Commodore Clipper and Goodwill and Condor Liberation and Voyager.
As the MV Straitsman, the ferry had served the Cook Strait for more than a decade after entering service in 2010 with stuff.co.nz reporting that it is leaving "New Zealand amid a time of notorious unreliability for crossings between the North and South Islands".
Pictured: It will take seven weeks for the Condor Islander to travel from New Zealand to the British Isles.
Guernsey's Policy and Resources Committee has loaned Condor £26million to bolster £6million in joint equity from the States and Condor to buy the ferry.
It was originally meant to be bought through the Guernsey Investment Fund (GIF) but after that deal fell through the Civil Contingencies Authority was convened to expediate an alternative funding agreement.
The CCA was required because there was a potential critical risk to the island’s supply chain if the deal wasn’t completed. The exact nature of this ‘critical risk’ has since been questioned and the CCA released a statement explaining its position which included confirmation that "there is now no immediate or imminent risk to our supply chain”.
The CCA said it was satisfied that purchasing the vessel at this specific time was “essential and satisfied the need to act to prevent a potential emergency occurring in accordance with the Civil Contingenecies (Guernsey) Law 2012”.
Previously the President of P&R, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, said any purchase of a new ferry would involve Jersey but there has been no explanation of what conversations, if any, were held with the government of Jersey prior to the ferry being bought.
Condor’s boat: Questions, questions, questions
£29m. of public money tied up in Condor deal after emergency decision
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