Brittany Ferries ship Guernsey trial date set

Brittany Ferries has already held a trial in Jersey with the Barfleur

The date for when Brittany Ferries will trial berthing a large ship in Guernsey has been announced.

The ferry company said last month it would run trials with the 158m (518ft) long Barfleur in St Helier, Jersey, and St Peter Port, Guernsey.

Guernsey Ports said following the trial in Jersey last month, Brittany Ferries will bring the Barfleur to St Peter Port at 16:00 BST on Tuesday.

Port officials said the trial would not impact scheduled ferry services.

The Barfleur can carry 1,212 passengers and is usually based in Poole.

Last month's trial in St Helier was described as "successful" by Jersey's head of maritime operations.

Ahead of Tuesday's trial, Guernsey Ports said: "Support arrangements are in place to ensure the Barfleur’s safe arrival into the port."

Ferry service bids

Ahead of the trials, Brittany Ferries said it was committed to supporting Condor, who it is a shareholder of, deliver "resilience to Channel Island services".

Jersey's contract with Condor runs until next year while Guernsey has a memorandum of understanding with the firm.

Guernsey and Jersey's governments said earlier this year they would work together to secure a long-term agreement on ferry links to the islands.

Deputy Neil Inder, President of Guernsey's Committee for Economic Development Committee, has previously said a formal tender process would start this month.

Danish ferry firm DFDS is expected to be one of the bidders, while Condor has said it is "confident" it would prove the company can continue operating services.