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Condor has cancelled its Clipper sailing to and from Jersey today after being held up by a old wartime bomb in Portsmouth Harbour this morning.
Passengers were delayed on board for hours until it was finally safe for the ferry to dock just before lunchtime but those booked on today's sailing back to Jersey and those booked to travel overnight to the UK will now have to wait until Thursday to travel.
The Clipper left Jersey late last night and was due to dock in Portsmouth early this morning but all cross-Channel ferries were stopped from going in and out of the port until the device had been lifted from the sea and safely detonated by the Royal Navy.
Condor tweeted this morning to say the Clipper was among other ships waiting for clearance outside of the Harbour and waiting for approval to berth from the Port authorities.
They then tweeted to say they've been given that clearance and were berthing at around 11:30.
Condor Ferries CEO Paul Luxon said: "I would like to thank the Captain and crew on board this morning's Commodore Clipper service, which was delayed due to the discovery of an unexploded ordinance. We place the safety of our passengers and crews as our highest priority and we worked closely with the Harbour Master and port teams to bring the ship in as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring our passengers on board were kept updated and looked after with free tea and coffee. Passengers waiting to board in Portsmouth were also provided with free refreshments.
"Whilst the consequential delays and cancellations have been caused by events beyond our control, we would like to offer our apologies and thanks to our customers for their understanding and patience."
Restaurants and shops on Gunwharf Quays were evacuated at the end of September when another bomb was found in the Harbour.
Royal Navy bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion at sea on that one as well as a Second World War torpedo that was found earlier in September.
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