Ferry firm's first scheduled sailing cancelled

DFDS said the first sailing has been cancelled due to technical issues on the boat

The first scheduled passenger sailing operated by the company awarded the contract to run Jersey's ferry services has been cancelled at short notice.

The DFDS service between Jersey and St Malo had been scheduled to arrive and depart on Friday.

The Tarifa Jet has been undergoing a refit in Portland in preparation for its new service and DFDS said this had been delayed due to technical issues.

The company said a further update would be issued at 09:00 GMT on Friday morning.

DFDS said Stena Vinga would cover for Tarifa Jet this weekend with services running on Saturday and Sunday.

All affected passengers have been contacted and offered alternative travel options, it said.

'Working hard'

Chris Parker, DFDS route director for Jersey apologised for the cancellation.

He said: "I am sorry that we have had to make these changes at short notice as I know that many people were looking forward to experiencing DFDS' services for the first time, and that islanders have plans to get away for longer breaks.

"We are working hard to keep the interference to a minimum and will notify passengers of the alternative arrangements as soon as possible."

In a statement, they said all affected customers would "receive a full refund and a voucher for a free return crossing in the future".

Any bookings would be moved to alternative departures free of charge, it added.