HD to lose its ramp permit

Saturday 6th September 2008, 9:59AM BST.

HD Ferries is to lose its ramp permit for dropping out of winter sailings.

And the troubled ferry company has been warned that it will face difficulty in getting it back after stopping sailings from tomorrow.

The permit allowing the boats to use the harbour ramp requires HD to run a minimum of three sailings per week during the winter.

After the announcement yesterday, which included the news that up to eight jobs could also be lost, Economic Development said that HD’s long-term future on the route might be threatened.

Assistant Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean, who is responsible for harbours and Airport matters, says that the company’s record so far would have to be taken into account if it applies for a permit to run next summer.
He said: ‘If they reapply next year we would have to consider their application based on what it contained, and past performance would be a key criterion.

‘This is the second year in a row that they have run through the summer, the most popular period, and then withdrawn in the winter.

‘They are cherrypicking, basically. It is not fair on the other operator, Condor, which has to carry the cost of providing the service all year round.’

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1
Andy

September 6, 2008 at 4:14 pm

Well that’s a bit clever, isn’t it?

Surely it would have been a better option in the public interest to threaten HD with heavy fines for pulling out of their obligations with a view to making them stay. What would happen if Condor decided to do the same thing? You simply can’t pick and choose when you want to operate, choosing the most profitable times of the year. I presume they (HD)have an all-year permit and a service level agreement. If they do not have the latter, what on Earth are the States playing at letting them have a permit in the first place?

HD is part of a larger handling company and should know what it takes to operate efficiently. Backing out when times get a little tough is a cowardly way out.

I sincerely hope this makes the public lose all faith in them now and hopefully they will not return. I supported them whenever I could as I despise Condor – but I will not be doing that anymore.

Thankfully HD never got around to providing that UK service. That would have only ended-up in yet more dissapointment.

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2
steve

September 6, 2008 at 6:44 pm

personally i hope HD come back, in the summer i travelled to france with HD, cost £180, Condor would have been £380, how can the difference be so great, Condor are a rip off. Even with all the uncertainty and cancellations with HD, such a saving is worth taking a risk sailing with them.

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3
Steve

September 6, 2008 at 8:29 pm

What a surprise!! For a change a challenger to Condor fails. Why is it that whenever HD runs late it is all over the press, but whenever Condor do anything wrong nothing is said? I think this Island needs competition on the routes out of the Island but it will never see it because there are too many greedy politicians involved trying to licence FREE routes in and out of the Island. Party politics are what is needed and the Walker / Shenton / Le Masurier mafia can all be put into their places.

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4
bob

September 6, 2008 at 11:10 pm

We had the opportunity of having P&O competing on these routes , what happened? We ended up with these third rate operators and the inevitable monopoly from Condor, again the politicians are to blame.This winter will see our transport links severely curtailed,these companies are certainly not providing any kind of useful service.

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