Alderney’s government has rejected all of the bids in its latest ferry tender process because of concerns about reliability.
The Economic Development Committee was hoping to appoint a ferry provider to operate the subsidised seasonal inter-island ferry service between Alderney and Guernsey, but decided it was “not in a position to award a subsidy”.
A spokesperson said the EDC “did not feel that the information provided demonstrated the capacity to meet these criteria and provide assurance… that a resilient service could be delivered for the 2026 season”.
Stuart Clark, EDC Chair, said the Committee did not make the decision “lightly”, but it was “not satisfied that the tender criteria were met in order to provide us with the required assurances to warrant such an investment of public funds”.
EDC would “continue to investigate various options” but was “confident that the range of providers competing in the market will ensure that connectivity between the islands continues”, the spokesperson said.
“[We wish] all operators a safe and prosperous season,” they added.
Alderney Ferry Services Ltd identified itself as one of the unsuccessful bidders for the subsidy.
Having sailed between Alderney and Guernsey and Cherbourg regularly for four years, the firm had been hoping to be awarded the States grant again.
Despite not getting it, the owners have said they will continue to run their scheduled services, but with prices going up to cover the loss of the States grant.
“Whilst this is not the decision we hoped for – we would like to assure our passengers that we remain committed to providing this vital sea link between the islands,” wrote Dan and Charlie who own Alderney Ferry Services.
“The SoA subsidy helped us to keep our ticket prices at a reduced rate,” they explained.
“However without the subsidy we have had no choice but to increase our fares with immediate effect by £15 per person each way including infants.
“As a small family run company we don’t like increasing our fares, we understand that even the smallest Increase can impact the decision to travel. We’d like to reassure passengers that we are still committed to providing this route and would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support. It means more than you know.”
