HD Ferries: ‘We will not be coming back’
Tuesday 17th February 2009, 2:58PM GMT.
HD Ferries will not resume services from Jersey, the troubled firm said yesterday.
The operator, which suspended all winter sailings last September, ended months of speculation after announcing that re-starting the service from Jersey and Guernsey to France would not be commercially viable.
It also criticised the States for failing to help the firm create competition in a market dominated by a long-standing operator.
The firm is now actively looking to sell or lease its £12 million ship, HD1, which is moored in Newhaven in the UK. HD Ferries’ decision has left the Island with just one car-carrying ferry operator.
In a statement released yesterday, James Howe-Davies, chief executive officer at HD Ferries, said: ‘We very much regret not being able to resume services this year but we hope that our valued customers will appreciate that we could only continue operating if there was a genuine prospect of our services becoming viable within a reasonable period of time.’
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bring back the good old “solidor” slow old heavy ship,any weather, great for people not in a hurry.
mind you a bridge with electricity generating capabilities attached not a bad idea if possible.
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It is a pity that this operator has fallen by the wayside indeed and we do desparately need an alternative, the bridge looks more attractive everyday! Would a smaller ro-ro ferry work with more frequent trips? It would not solve the problems when the weather is too bad to sail however services can be much more easily adjusted to suit demand.
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likewise david bring back the caesera and sarnia on the northern route took a bit longer but always sailed no matter what weather 2 boats a day 1 in morning 1 at night day in day out we had plenty of visiters then
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Bella
Do you think 2 slow boats will bring the tourist back to Jersey? The ‘Bucket and Spade brigade’ have moved on.
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It also criticised the States for failing to help the firm create competition in a market dominated by a long-standing operator?
What competition? The ship spent a good part of the year broken, either out of action completely, or running late at best.
Condor might cost more, but it seems you get what you pay for.
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i remember travelling on the mailboat from Weymouth as a student. I thought I had died and gone to hell-people being sick all night long, babies screaming and trying to get some sleep in the most uncomfortable seats ever. The journey seemed to go on and on and on.
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HD Ferries unfortunately proved themselves over a long time to be unreliable.
It was a shame because I was so willing to give them a chance after Condor ousted Emmeraude, but there is a limit to to how much leeway you can give.
Until HD can get their restrictions on rough seas lifted, it is probably best that they don’t come back to Jersey
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1. david brown
totally agree, there is definately an opportunity for a low cost, slower vessel operating a more reliable service.
wouldn’t be surprised if we see this in a couple of months or so…according to a few insiders…
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This is very sad news, we’re stuck with condor’s outrageous prices again.
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jo 6 hours to weymouth just 2 hours more than conder would,nt bother too many people as it was reliable and always sailed even in gales,i,m sure most people would prefer this to the 1 we have now,which only picks and drops off passengers in jersey from other places.at least caesera and sarnia only served jersey and guernsey also the sailing times were much better,with condor most sailing leave late in the day and you get there midnight or beyond
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what happened to emeraude ferries? they were fab bring them back!
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Everytime we have competition to Condor they go out of business. Evertime we have competition prices fall, then when the competition falls away the prices go up. It is so obvious what is going on to me. It is about time the states sorted this out.
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yes adrian i agree ,maybe its about time guernsey and jersey got together and bought their own boats,one to uk and one to france,and kept prices in line as they do in uk.i,m sure this could be done with a bussiness person,even if they let the general public buy shares in it would pay for itself
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Adrian – “It is so obvious what is going on to me”. Well if its as obvious as it is to me, i.e the routes won’t support two competitors, just one company, then we must be in agreement…
HD failed because they couldn’t offer a reliable service, because they were underfunded, and they were underfunded because you won’t get the required level of investment by a credible operator on a route which won’t support two companies. If you did, P&O or Brittany Ferries would be in like a shot.
Or why you suggesting the usual conspiracy theories that abound to explain everything from crop circles in St Ouen to suspending the police chief for doing a rubbish job and humiliating our island.
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I remember “Smokey Joe” the Duchesse of Normandy and how awful the crossing to France was years ago.
Maybe Condor is expensive but they also have to cover the winter schedule which makes a loss and the ever increasing harbours dues which Alan Maclean is raising again, in particular on passenger carriers.
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Mike R – Er not one for conspiracy theories; however, was it a coincidence that when fuel prices maxed out last year, the Condor’s I travelled on were running on reduced power (according to tannoy announcement), due to “technical problems”, yet the fuel surcharge both ways was top whack!
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Emmeraude did a good job on the French route but those in authority thought competition from Condor would be good. I said this would happen but others knew better.
I myself can’t believe these high prices are allowed to stand I have even brought this up with Mr.MacLean. It is unfair on islanders to pay more than others from outside the islands do to get here, yet nothing is done about this. I saw trips from Dinan to Jersey for 33 euros per person the other day!! How can this be? I believe the islanders are being taken advantage of and that the states are unwilling or unable to sort this out.
If I was in charge I would have a Channel Island Ferry and freight service run by the states for nil profit. This would I believe lead to increased tourism and cheaper goods into the islands with the added benefit of cheaper holidays for the channel islanders who at the moment appear to be getting a raw deal as far as I am concerned.
We are paying the equivalent of at least 17.5% extra just to get goods in. I believe the Shetland Islands have an import cost of around 5%. How can they do it for this and we can’t?
If the states want more tourists why don’t they slash harbour dues as well?
Mike R in answer to your last bit, I believe reality is not what it is made out to be.
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I have a simple message to those who complain about the ferry service and the cost of such, and that is “Go and live on the mainland ! ”
I am not Jersey born, but Jersey is a great place to live and work. The downside of living on an island is that there is a cost of getting off of it ! If one lived in say Manchester, one would not be concerned about ferry costs, but you would have to make sure your intruder alarm is serviced and working to satisfy your insureres, your car would cost 3 times to insure becase it gets stolen or broken into once a year, your house insurance costs more, and in addition there is your council tax to consider. All of this, and you probably are earning a lot less !
People need to realise that island life is differnt. Items do cost more, you probably spend less on petrol, home and car insurance. Parish Rates are a pittance compared to Council Tax and yes, you earn more!
Just enjoy it and stop moaning !!!!!
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We only have no choice if you want to take a car – other wise what about Manche Ilse Express
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John no way would I want to live in the UK even if I was paid to!
Yes you might think Jersey is a great place to live and work, which it is compared to most other places, but it isn’t as good as it once was due to too much immigration which is destroying the ambiance and friendliness of the place.
Ask yourself why Jersey is so much better than the UK? Why is the crime rate lower etc? Why can people leave their houses unlocked etc etc? It is the people that make or break a place this is a major reason why Jersey is better than the UK, besides of cause the stunning scenery which is better than even Australia as far as I am concerned.
Yes the island is different because it is special but for how much longer at this rate of change for the worse? We have no VAT in Jersey so why is it charged as an import cost? I bet the Shetlands wouldn’t wear this sort of price hike.
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Jersey has a strange ideaology, they have taken away the mass markets and by that i mean tourism.
Of course the island will always need to maintain a ferry link for its own people so that they can come and go as they please but i hear words like competition all the time here? If you encourage competition in the first place you have to have a market and sadly for the island there is no market anymore or else ferry companies would pop up all over the place! Tourism is a very good market for any island especially one like jersey which has a natural wealth but sadly the powers that be from within have decided that this is not for them. You cant have your cake and eat in especially in these recession driven times.
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