Channel Island ferry tender behind schedule

Condor Ferries and DFDS have confirmed bids, while the BBC understands Irish Ferries has also made a bid

Bidders to run ferry operations in the Channel Islands have not yet been contacted to be told they are shortlisted.

The prospectus sent out by the Government of Jersey and States of Guernsey stated shortlisted companies would be contacted by 22 July.

Both islands' governments have declined to comment on the delay.

The successful firm is due to run services from Guernsey and Jersey for 15 years.

Maritime business expert and former advisor to the Scottish government Dr Alf Baird said he "wasn't surprised" by the delay.

He said: "It would have been good to have done this as a more simplified tender process, like the Norwegians, who do it like bus concessions.

"When you have a very lengthy tender document, there's a lot to go through: questions, risks and uncertainties, which need to be explored by the operators and governments, and that's why there may be delays.

"A lot of local jobs rely on these services, so it is important to get it right."

What's the timeline?

At the start of the year, the Government of Jersey and States of Guernsey published a schedule of how the tender process would work:

• 22 July - Shortlisting notification

• 29 July to 12 August - Clarifications and negotiation period

• 12 August - Invitation to submit final tender issued

• 19 August to 26 August - Evaluation period

• 2 September to 12 September - Unsuccessful bidders informed

• 2 September to 23 September - Finalising agreement period

• 30 September - Final contract award date

Brittany Ferries recently attempted to become the majority shareholder of Condor

Who is interested?

Condor Ferries and DFDS have confirmed they have bid for the contract, with both companies yet to be contacted about being shortlisted.

The BBC understands Irish Ferries has also submitted a bid.

The company has refused to comment.

Irish Ferries currently run operations between Ireland, the UK and France

According to Dr Baird, Irish Ferries "is a large and reputable privately-owned operator running very large ferries mainly on the Irish Sea".

He warned: "They might have the same problem as DFDS or Stena, with a fleet that is too large for Channel Island ports.

"Their knowledge of the nuances of island trades may also be limited."

Stena Line pulled out of the race earlier this year to run ferry operations in the Channel Islands.

Dr Baird said a new operation could be a challenge for Irish Ferries.

He said: "When they've moved away from their core services, they've always had limited success.

"That may be the challenge with the Channel Islands - that they don't have the knowledge about things like port constraints."

He added the contract to run services in the Channel Islands was an attractive one for potential operators and that he "wouldn't be surprised" if other operators had also bid.