DFDS fast ferry Tarifa Jet left the island yesterday to undergo repairs in the UK, following a recent incident in which it “made contact” with the Elizabeth east berth – as the Danish shipping firm announced a series of measures to “support travel arrangements over the Easter weekend”.
The update follows confirmation from the ferry operator that Tarifa Jet sustained damage to its stern while arriving in St Helier Harbour on Sunday evening.
No passengers or crew were injured in the incident.
A Ports of Jersey spokesperson said: “Our inspections have identified some localised damage to the east berth.
“Our in-house engineering team is already making good progress with repairs, and we expect the berth to be fully operational again in time for the weekend.
“The west berth remains unaffected and fully operational.”
Tarifa Jet departed the Harbour on Wednesday morning under her own power, with the support of a Ports of Jersey pilot and a tug escort – and is heading to Portland for repairs.
DFDS has since announced a series of measures “to support travel arrangements over the Easter weekend”.
This includes the deployment of freight and passenger ship Côte d’Albâtre to operate a revised schedule between Portsmouth and Jersey.
The vessel is scheduled to commence sailings from the UK port at 1pm on Friday and will continue operating throughout the Easter weekend.
Passengers currently booked on Jersey-Portsmouth and Jersey-Poole services on Sunday and Monday will be transferred to Côte d’Albâtre on the Jersey-Portsmouth route.
Customers affected by these schedule changes will be contacted directly by email with their updated travel arrangements
DFDS statement
Additionally, freight and passenger ship Stena Vinga is due to begin operating between Jersey and St Malo this evening.
DFDS said that it had been “working closely with the ports of St Helier and St Malo to maximise sailing availability”, including the introduction of additional departures on both Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.
“Customers affected by these schedule changes will be contacted directly by email with their updated travel arrangements,” the company added.
Tarifa Jet’s services are due to be taken on by fast ferry Levante Jet, which is currently undergoing a planned refit in Dunkirk and is expected to return to service next week.