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The Danish shipping giant hoping to beat Condor to secure the new contract for Jersey's ferry services has revealed which ferries will be part of its bid.
Speaking to Express this morning, DFDS BU Channel and Baltics vice-president Filip Werne Hermann said the operator would be "honoured" to operate the island's freight and passenger ferry services.
He confirmed its offering would include high-speed and roll-on roll-off passenger craft, as well as a freight-only vessel.
His comments came just a few days after the company broke its silence on the latest developments in Jersey's troubled quest to decide which operator to award the new 15-year contract.
Mr Hermann explained that the live Jersey-only tender meant could not give "all of the details about what we intend to bid".
However, he confirmed the service will include "high-speed" and "RoPax" [roll-on/roll-off passenger] craft, as well as a "freight-only" vessel.
Pictured: Mr Hermann confirmed a freight-only vessel would be among the service craft in the current offering for Jersey alone.
"We are well aware of the lifeline nature of the service on the freight side, so we will make sure we have the setup that can work as a contingency as well but is also strong enough to deliver the freight services that the island needs," he said.
Earlier this year, the operator also teased plans for some form of hybrid-electric ferry that could be used in the Channel Islands if it wins the contract.
Mr Hermann said: "If we are successful with the tender, we will discuss a timeline for that," though he noted it was something that would need to be planned "in detail" with the island.
He also addressed confusion around DFDS's removal from the previous pan-island tender, when the operator was said to have requested a unilateral right to adjust pricing and sailing schedules.
Pictured: Mr Hermann said media reports on why the operator was ruled out of the previous tender process had only revealed "part of the story".
"First of all, we have not received official feedback from Guernsey," Mr Hermann said, explaining the operator had been left with "mostly speculation on what we have heard in the press and been able to read so far".
"But just to be clear, we did not include a unilateral right to change the prices and schedule as we saw fit," he noted.
"We are a responsible and prudent operator and we like to make sure we can deliver on the service, but also even more on the millions of pounds of investment that we committed to in the tender.
"To that end, we did include some of the levers that have been in the press, but that was only part of our proposal."
Pictured: DFDS is currently battling Condor to secure Jersey's freight and passenger ferry services.
He pointed out that such reports had included "nothing about when we could do it and how we could do it".
"I can't get into more details on that one because [there is] still a live tender process," he added.
"But that was only part of the story."
Reflecting on the process so far – which Jersey's Economic Development Minister recently faced scrutiny over – Mr Hermann said DFDS understood "how big a decision this is".
"We understand that it is something that takes time to land at the right decision," he explained.
"We are still as committed to serve Jersey and it would be an honour to work for Jersey and islanders."
Explaining the Danish firm's interest in the contract, he added: "It's a match with our long-term vision and strategy that we have applied for more than 150 years and it is also a match with our current fleet."
DFDS bid ruled out because it demanded unilateral right to change routes and schedules
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