Freight service delays criticised by shop bosses

The Danish firm was chosen by the government at the end of 2024 to run ferry services to and from Jersey

Supermarket bosses have told a scrutiny panel about their frustrations with Jersey's ferry company and the way it was appointed.

Representatives from the Channel Islands Co-op, Morrisons and other shops told the economic scrutiny panel about problems they had experienced since DFDS took over from Condor this year.

They expressed "disappointment" over "little engagement" from the government during the selection process and also said deliveries of frozen or chilled foods had been impacted.

The Government of Jersey said the tender process was "subject to rigorous, independent evaluation".

The Danish firm was chosen by the government at the end of 2024 to run ferry services to and from Jersey for the next 20 years.

Since the first sailing was completed in March 2025 services have faced multiple setbacks, including some links between Jersey and Guernsey being forced to cancel over weather conditions, staffing issues and technical errors.

"The resilience of DFDS is a big question for us," said Andrew Holmes, Morrisons' operations director.

"Once there was disruption that became an issue for DFDS and they couldn't get their boats into Jersey.

"The recovery period just went on for more than a week and that was on more than one occasion."

Mr Holmes added: "It doesn't give us any kind of confidence in DFDS for when we go into worse weather."

A spokesperson for DFDS said there were some "isolated issues" due to periods of severe weather but did not agree that delays were "regular".

In a statement from the company, the spokesperson said: "Since the start of the service, fewer than four percent of freight departures have been cancelled, usually as a result of severe weather."

'Zero involvement'

There were also questions raised over how much the government consulted on the decision to appoint DFDS.

"Talking from a Morrisons' perspective, we had zero involvement," said Mr Holmes.

"We were involved in a few meetings after the agreement went through but other than that there was nothing."

That opinion was also shared by Lee Madden, the president of the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, who said "nobody" came to ask for the opinion of its members.

The Channel Islands Co-op said it was "disappointed" by such "little engagement".

DFDS said it had "met with supermarket representatives" before the new service began.

It added it had reviewed schedules "in detail" and made a number of changes in response to feedback.

"Overall freight volumes have increased since DFDS began operating the service in Jersey and the company remains committed to ensuring reliable and efficient freight links for the island," said a DFDS spokesperson.

"We operate an open door policy and would welcome a meeting with supermarket representatives and their freight forwarders to discuss any specific concerns as a constructive way forward."

'Open and constructive'

The Government of Jersey said the ferry tender process "was conducted in full accordance with Jersey's public procurement framework and subject to rigorous, independent evaluation".

Minister for Sustainable Economic Development Deputy Kirsten Morel said: "It would not have been appropriate for commercial operators or end users to participate in a live tender process.

"Doing so would have compromised both fairness and confidentiality.

"All stakeholders are now being engaged as part of the implementation phase, and the government is committed to maintaining open and constructive dialogue."