DFDS has said that it not contractually obliged to provide a fast-ferry service to the UK this winter – and only using the slower Stena Vinga to Portsmouth will allow it to invest in new boats and the “long-term sustainability” of routes.
The Danish carrier’s Jersey route director Chris Parker was responding to criticism from Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham, who said yesterday that DFDS’s service “falls short of what was promised”.
Deputy Farnham made his comments after the company announced that it would not be running high-speed Poole sailings with its Levante Jet vessel between November and the end of April, due to lower passenger numbers during the winter season.
This drew the ire of the Jersey Hospitality Association, who wrote to the Chief Minister calling for action.
The letter, written by JHA chair Malcolm Lewis, outlined “growing” frustration amongst islanders and raised concerns that Jersey’s connectivity needs were being seen as subordinate to DFDS’s profitability.
To the Chief Minister, Mr Lewis said: “Your government must take responsibility for the impact of the earlier ferry tender debacle, which has directly led to a +30% reduction in sea passenger travel this year, with severe economic consequences for our industry. There must now be accountability and urgent corrective action.”
Deputy Farnham said he was “demanding immediate clarity and improved delivery” from DFDS.
Speaking today, Mr Parker said: “Our obligation is to run a sufficient number of northbound and southbound rotations, for both passenger and freight services. We actually run in excess of that contractual requirement for most of the year.
“We promised a £300m investment in vessels for Jersey and that is firmly in our business plan so it’s something we need to get right. We need to get the schedules correct to be able to deliver that long-term sustainability and that reinvestment in vessels.”
We actually run in excess of that contractual requirement for most of the year
chris parker, DFDS route director for Jersey
He added: “In terms of the winter schedules, looking at the demand, the Stena Vinga could carry, theoretically, three times as many people who are actually scheduled to travel between November and March. There is a significant amount of capacity there.”
Although the Levante Jet will not be in service until May, Mr Parker said that DFDS would be scheduling the high-speed Tarifa Jet on some sailings over the Easter period.
Asked about the Chief Minister’s publicly expressed concerns, Mr Parker said: “Clearly, today’s headlines are not ones that we like to see but we will sit down with the Government, as we do all the time, and we will resolve this.
“But we do stand behind the plans that we have made. It is really important for Jersey that we do create that long-term sustainability and that we do have that clear plan of how we’re going to improve the fleet.
“We will obviously work with islanders and businesses to improve visitor numbers and to provide a better service where we can.”