The Chamber of Commerce has raised concerns over the potential impact on freight supplies that could be caused by DFDS’s decision to redirect one of its ships to enable inter-island travel for the Muratti.
Chamber CEO Murray Norton made the comments after the Danish shipping firm altered its schedule to enable a “one-off return trip” between Jersey and Guernsey on Saturday to help football fans watch the women’s and men’s Muratti Vase finals.
Responding to what it described as “overwhelming demand to travel to Guernsey”, DFDS has cancelled two sailings on its Portsmouth route – served by its Stena Vinga freight and passenger ship – and delayed another by an hour, to make room for the “special sailing”.
Mr Norton said: “While it is understandable that there is a benefit to providing for the community to enjoy sporting and cultural events, it has to be acknowledged that this will come to some cost and disruption to our freight supplies, because the Stena Vinga is being redirected between Jersey and Guernsey for the Muratti”.
DFDS route director for Jersey Chris Parker said: “We apologise for the inconvenience caused by our schedule update and will be making sure all customers have been contacted and offered assistance if it is required.
“The Muratti is an important occasion for the islands and we are proud to be supporting it with this special return sailing.”
In a statement, the Chamber said that retailers had warned that the loss of a scheduled freight delivery “will impact the timely arrival of fresh produce and goods essential for weekend trade”.
“The disruption is particularly acute for Saturday evening and Sunday trading, with some members indicating they will not receive replenishment stock until Monday morning,” the statement continued.
It described early engagement with stakeholders within the freight, retail and logistics sectors as “essential” regarding decisions that could affect “critical supply lines”, particularly given Jersey’s reliance on imported goods.
“As the representative body for commerce in Jersey, the Chamber will continue to work constructively with the government and service providers to ensure that both community events and essential services can be supported wherever possible,” it added.
“We believe that with appropriate consultation, planning and a greater understanding of the fuller freight process, future conflicts of this nature can be mitigated more effectively.”
The Chamber’s concerns come not long after the Coop thanked members and customers for their “patience and understanding”, as it attempted to resolve stock
supply issues to local stores following a cyber attack in the UK.
