A new working group has been established to improve ferry travel between the islands in 2026 – but without Jersey politicians or Jersey’s main ferry operator, DFDS, at the table.

The group brings together the States of Guernsey and three ferry operators: Brittany Ferries, Manche‑Iles Express and Islands Unlimited.

Announced by the States of Guernsey late on Friday, the group said their aim was to improve inter-island sea connectivity, particularly around events and inter-insular travel in 2026.

The group met for the first time last week and agreed to work on aligning sailing times across operators so they better support community events, sports fixtures and cultural activities taking place between Guernsey and Jersey.

It will also explore the possibility of cross-ticketing in the future to simplify travel for passengers.

VisitGuernsey will work with the operators to reflect requests from clubs and associations, and the group is expected to meet regularly throughout 2026 to plan schedules.

However, the working group currently includes no representation from the Government of Jersey, and DFDS, which operates Jersey’s main UK ferry routes, is not involved – despite a previous request from the latter.

Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, President of Guernsey’s Committee for Economic Development, said she anticipated questions about DFDS’s absence.

“I anticipate we will be asked why DFDS are not currently involved in these discussions,” she said.

“While we remain open to engaging with them at any time and note that they contacted us some time ago expressing a willingness to do so, we have not received any further follow-up. We also continue to keep discussions open with the Government of Jersey on ensuring a reciprocal rotation from the DFDS.”

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said ferry travel between Guernsey and Jersey was “an important part of island life” and that improving sea connectivity formed part of Guernsey’s developing sea connectivity strategy.

She said the three participating operators had shown “immediate keenness to work together” to develop sailing plans that better serve the public and ensure inter-island events are properly supported.

It comes after research from an independent travel company found that Guernsey welcomed more than 20,000 more ferry passengers than Jersey between April and October this year – news hailed by Brittany Ferries, Guernsey’s chosen key operator.

Paul Acheson, Group Director of Sales and Marketing at Brittany Ferries, welcomed the new Guernsey-based inter-island partnership.

“We have seen strong growth this year, including a 168% increase in passengers who have travelled and forward bookings to and from Saint Malo along with further improvements from Poole and Portsmouth. Building on this momentum, we are exploring ways to enhance services, including working with the other Bailiwick ferry operators to improve inter-island connections and onward travel from the UK and France.”

Chad Murray, Chief Executive of Islands Unlimited, said coordinated sailings were essential for events, sport and tourism, and that the joint approach would help services align more closely with island events calendars while improving the visitor experience.

“We’re pleased to be working collaboratively with fellow ferry operators and the States of Guernsey to improve inter-island sea connectivity, particularly in support of events, sport and tourism… We look forward to continuing this partnership into 2026 and helping strengthen the cultural, sporting and tourism links between Guernsey and Jersey.”

Sport sailings came under the spotlight earlier this year when DFDS launched a special Muratti boat service from Jersey to Guernsey in response to a request from government – however, this led to the cancellations of two other sailings.

Olivier Normand, Sales and Marketing Director at Manche-Iles Express, said the operator had carried 15,000 passengers between Jersey and the Bailiwick and 12,000 between Normandy and Guernsey and Alderney in 2025 – an increase of 2,500 passengers on the previous year.

“In collaboration with Guernsey and the two other maritime operators, we will do our best to meet the local and tourist demand,” he added.

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