Brittany Ferries to trial vessel in Channel Islands

It is expected the Barfleur will be trialled in Guernsey at a later date

Brittany Ferries is set to trial a ship in Channel Island harbours, beginning with St Helier on Tuesday with St Peter Port at a later date.

The 158m (518ft) long Barfleur can carry 1,212 passengers and is usually based in Poole.

It follows a trial of the Finlandia Seaways in December.

The company said: "Brittany Ferries is committed to doing all it can to support Condor in delivering resilience to Channel Island services".

The DFDS Finlandia Seaways hit the harbour wall when it left St Peter Port

Earlier this year, the governments of Guernsey and Jersey announced they were working together to secure long-term operating agreements for ferry links.

President of Guernsey's Economic Development Committee Neil Inder announced there would be a formal tender process starting next month.

He told deputies "several" companies had been in touch to express an interest in running the route.

Jersey has a contract with Condor Ferries to 2025, while Guernsey has a memorandum of understanding for procuring a new long-term operating agreement for freight and passenger ferry services.

Danish firm DFDS is expected to be one of the companies making a bid, while the current operator Condor said it was "confident" it would "prove that we continue to be the right operator".

The trial in Jersey is scheduled to start after the Condor Islander has departed at 08:00 GMT on Tuesday.

The Barfleur’s arrival will be supported by two tugs to ensure its safe entry into the port.

Brittany Ferries said two Ports of Jersey pilots will board the ship to supplement the bridge team onboard, and to provide the required local knowledge.