Islanders react to Jersey's ferry decision

Plasterer Nick Harrison said if freight prices increased he would need to raise his rates

People in Jersey have been reacting to the news the island has picked DFDS to run its ferries for the next 15 years.

The decision means Jersey and Guernsey will have different ferry operators for the first time in decades.

Plasterer Nick Harrison said he was pleased Jersey had "finally made a decision" but "time would tell" whether it was the right one.

Mr Harrison said he hoped for a "better and more frequent service, with better arrival times to the UK", as the current services often arrived very late at night.

He said: "It's going to be interesting to see how it works inter-island.

"It can't be much worse than what we've had - let's hope they speed things up."

Mr Harrison said that if freight prices increased he would have to pass the costs on to his customers by raising his rates.

Janette Crowder hopes DFDS will make travel to France more convenient

'A better service'

Janette Crowder said she was unsure why Jersey had chosen a different company to Guernsey.

"Maybe there's a reason for it. Maybe they wanted a better service," she said.

She said she was "hopeful" the DFDS timetable, which is due to be published next week, would make travel to France more convenient.

"There's no point in going to France [at the moment], because the times don't work."

She said she used to travel to England regularly with her car, but now used the ferry infrequently.

However, she hoped to see more of her daughter, a student, if car ferries to the UK improved.

Peter McVeigh said Condor had been "decent" but he thought DFDS had a "stronger balance sheet" and more modern fleet

'Shades of the same thing'

Peter McVeigh said Condor had been a "decent incumbent" but he suspected DFDS had a "stronger balance sheet with a bigger and more modern fleet".

"If there is a time for change DFDS seem like a suitable company," he said.

He was not worried about Jersey and Guernsey choosing different companies or which UK ferry ports they operated from.

Mr McVeigh said whether DFDS used Poole, Southampton or Portsmouth amounted to "shades of the same thing" as most drivers still needed to reach a motorway.

"They both say they can undertake the contracts they've been given," he said.

Despite being satisfied with Condor previously, he said the "new ferry, The Islander" was 25 years old and had been used on a heavy-duty route previously, so he was "inclined to see what DFDS can supply to us".

John Holmes is worried rising freight prices might have a knock-on effect on house prices while Richard Allan is excited to book his tickets to France

Richard Allan said he travelled to France twice a year so was "glad to see things are up and running" and he was looking forward to booking tickets for his next visit.

Mr Allen said he had "no issues with Condor" but was glad the contract had been sorted.

House price worries

John Holmes said he was worried rising freight costs might have a knock-on effect on house prices.

Mr Holmes said: "The freight charges are going up all the time for builders and people like that.

"It could make property prices go up, if the materials are going up and the cost of building is going up as well."

He said he did not use the ferry often but "if it's going to be faster and better it will be a good idea".

Malcolm Jenkins said he felt Jersey could be in a good position in the future if Brittany Ferries had financial difficulties or could not run the routes economically.

He said Guernsey "might be joining in" and using DFDS in a couple of years' time "if they [Brittany Ferries] go pop".