Ports took a financial battering during the covid storm

Thursday 27 May 2021

The 2020 accounts for Guernsey’s Ports are an unsurprisingly tough read, after passenger numbers crashed by 83% in a year clouded by a global pandemic.

2020 will be remembered for many reasons, but the freedom to travel will not be one of them. Severe restrictions levied on our borders led to almost one million fewer passenger movements than in 2019.

The impact of this on the Ports is laid bare in the recently-published States Accounts. Both the finances of the airport and the harbour have been collated and reveal a combined deficit of more than £10 million over the course of the year.

Pictured: Ports income in 2020 was £11.7 million lower than 2019.

The financial hole left by covid was further exacerbated by a 27% drop in revenue generated by leisure services from 2019 to 2020. Once again, this is due to the restrictions visiting yachts and cruise liners faced.

To protect the essential services, the Ports' overdraft facility, supplied by Policy and Resources, has been extended through 2021 and recovery plans “continue to be established and delivered.”

With this assistance the States Trading Supervisory Board, which oversees the Ports as a States’ trading asset, has deemed the Ports of ‘going concern’ for at least the next 12 months. 

Pictured: Recruitment to vacant posts was suspended in 2020 due to financial pressure.

Despite the tough position the Ports find themselves in financially, staff have been celebrated for their endurance and work during an “unprecedented” time.

“The team has taken advantage of reduced activity at the ports to undertake additional maintenance in areas normally operational or in passenger use,” said a spokesperson.

“This has included marina pontoon and airfield grounds maintenance, redecoration of buildings, and the work has used in-house expertise whenever possible.”

The overall accounts for the States of Guernsey in 2020 revealed the devastating consequences of two lockdowns for the island amid the global pandemic.