"Loyal servant" MV Commodore Goodwill up for sale as Condor Portsmouth Channel Islands ferry ends long career

MV Commodore Goodwill, operated by Condor/Brittany Ferries, completed her last commercial sailing on March 27. She has been taking passengers and freight from Portsmouth International Port to the Channel Islands for the last 30 years, but her prestigious career has come to an end.

Condor Ferries is seeking to sell the 126.4m long vessel, who began her career in 1996. A company spokesman said: “it was very sad to see Commodore Goodwill sail from Portsmouth for the last time. She was a loyal servant for the Channel Islands, less high profile than other vessels perhaps, but arguably more important. Her sale is tinged with a great deal of sadness among crew, staff and all those who relied on her faithful service for so long.”

Commodore Goodwill is currently on the market with a broker and is valued at €14m. The roll-on roll-off conventional freight vessel was built in Holland in 1996 and specifically designed for cross channel trips to Jersey and Guernsey.

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She can accommodate 94 13.3m trailers and operate with a crew of 23 sailors and up to 12 freight drivers. Her main tasks over the years were to maintain the lifeline route between Portsmouth and the Channel Islands, primarily transporting temperature controlled products and heavy, out of gauge freight.

Her regular trips made Commodore Goodwill a regular fixture in Portsmouth harbour, travelling 1,590 nautical miles a week. In addition to the Channel island voyages, she would also make a weekly trip to St Malo in Brittany. As a whole throughout her career, Commodore Goodwill sailed 2,213,280 miles - based on roughly 48 weeks per year.

This is the equivalent of travelling to the moon and back four times. She was withdrawn from service late last month and has been put on sale since.