Brittany Ferries' boss has mixed feelings on Guernsey launch
Brittany Ferries' boss says he is excited for the launch of the firm's new Guernsey service on Friday but also disappointed over staff cuts.For 60 years the Channel Islands had a joint ferry operator for both Guernsey and Jersey - however, while Guernsey will continue to work with Brittany Ferries, Jersey has chosen DFDS after a tender process.Brittany Ferries, Condor's parent company, was chosen in October to run Guernsey's service for the next 15 years.Chief executive Christophe Mathieu said: "We've had a lot of encouraging bookings for Guernsey. However, there is still extreme disappointment for the people that have consequently had to leave Condor and it is very sad the way it ended up."
Condor's previous contracts with both islands ended on Thursday.Brittany Ferries is in the process of selling two of the vessels that were part of the Channel Islands' fleet. Mr Mathieu said: "The crew of those two vessels are leaving the company and of course there are people in Jersey that are either transferring to our competitor or moving on. "There are also people mainly in the Poole headquarter [losing jobs], because a lot of support functions are impacted. There are quite a few people losing their jobs."Brittany Ferries says it is committed to investing in the fleet that serves Guernsey. It is likely it will replace the roll-on/roll-off ferry, Islander, and then its high-speed catamaran, Voyager. Mr Mathieu said: "We are a regional operator and I think Guernsey will be very much in the heart of our network. "Let's focus on the future and making it a successful partnership with Guernsey as we really look forward to it."
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