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First it crashed into the harbour, then there was an electrical issue, most recently it was a problem with a car hoist - it’s been far from plain sailing for Condor’s new £50 million pound investment.
The Liberation has only been in service a matter of weeks but has been damaged, out of action, suffered engine trouble and been beset by delays because of the weather – causing disruption to thousands of passengers. But now Condor say that the worst is behind them.
The company promised a more reliable service and smoother journeys when the 102-metre state of the art ship launched at the end of March but have had to apologise to passengers a number of times since crashing while docking in Guernsey, the day after its maiden voyage.
Speaking after the damage Captain Fran Collins said: “No-one is more disappointed than we are that the combination of the very unfortunate incident at the weekend and some really severe weather has caused this disruption in Condor Liberation’s first week in service. It is particularly saddening after the wonderful welcome which she received in the Islands last weekend. We are working around the clock to have her back in service as soon as possible and are very grateful to our customers for their patience and understanding.”
At the end of last week things were looking up when the company tweeted its “good news” that repairs to the engine appeared to have gone well and the ship would be operating as scheduled at the weekend. But just a day later the ship ended up leaving Guernsey over an hour late as staff struggled to cope boarding Saturday’s full load.
The company puts the latest delays down to teething problems, something it seems to have had a lot of and will no doubt be hoping the tide has finally turned in its new ship's favour.
The Condor Liberation is the only trimaran ferry of its kind in Northern Europe and seats up to 880 passengers and up to 245 vehicles.
It’s due to sail every day from Poole to the Channel Islands throughout the summer.
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