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Alderney's newest ferry service has been withdrawn before completing any sailings after the vessel was found to have "a major underlying engine issue".
The owners of the service hope to restart operations later in the summer but say they first need to find a replacement vessel and more funding.
The Azula was on its 'maiden voyage' from Alderney to Guernsey last Monday when a mechanical fault forced it to turn back with the aid of Alderney's lifeboat. It was due to relaunch on Thursday, but the repairs necessary were found to be much more extensive than originally thought.
"It is with deep sadness that we, Alderney Ferry Services Ltd., have to announce that we will be closing our hatches and mooring up until July," said co-owners Daniel Slimm and Charlie Smith.
"During sea trials this week, we have discovered that the privately-owned vessel we chartered [The Azula] unfortunately has a major underlying engine issue which didn’t come to light until we worked on replacing the broken turbo.
"We have tried to source another vessel and have found a number of options available to us. But, without any external financial assistance, we would be running at a loss over the next month. For us, trying to provide for a young family, it’s unfortunately not viable."
Pictured: Engine problems will prevent The Azula from operating the Alderney-Guernsey route.
They said they had underestimated the challenges of launching the service and felt bad for their customers and potential customers.
But they also reiterated their commitment to restoring the withdrawn service as soon as possible and appealed for support from the community.
"We really feel disappointed that we have let down the people of the Bailiwick," they said.
"We started this voyage in the hope that we would be providing a much-needed, lifeline service for our community, but did not fully anticipate the issues and bad luck that we have encountered.
"However, this is not the end for us. It is just another hurdle we have to overcome. In addition to sourcing a suitable replacement vessel, we now find ourselves having to find more finances to keep the project going.
"If there are people in the community who would like to help us financially to re-launch this project, at whatever level possible, please drop us a line. We would be pleased to hear from you."
Pictured: Alderney Ferry Services Ltd. still hopes to serve the island with daily sailings to and from Guernsey but not before July.
The Azula had intended to run four legs daily. Each morning, it would have departed Alderney at 07:00 and arrived in Guernsey at 08:30 and then departed Guernsey at 09:00 and arrived in Alderney at 10:30. Each afternoon, it would have departed Alderney at 16:30 and arrived in Guernsey at 18:00 and then departed Guernsey at 18:30 and arrived in Alderney at 20:00.
The owners said that passengers booked on sailings in May or June would receive a full refund and that passengers booked from July onwards could choose between a refund and keeping their booking open in the hope that by then there will be a vessel to carry them.
Mr Slimm said: "Please email Charlie and I and we will get back to you as soon as possible."
Alderney has not had much luck with ferry services so far this year.
In April, the States of Alderney announced that its subsidised ferry service would be operated this year by The Salty Blonde. But it has since been suspended because of mechanical problems and is not expected to resume sailings for several weeks.
Picture credit (top): David Nash.
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