New Portsmouth to Jersey DFDS ferry service overshadowed by war of words and "smear campaign"

Danish operator DFDS was granted the route and awarded a 20-year-contract following a bidding process in The Channel Islands last December. Its first sailing from Portsmouth International Port is due to launch on March 28.

Previous operator Condor Ferries, owned by Brittany Ferries, ran the service for 60 years before the Jersey government chose their rival in a hotly contested bidding process. Its result has led to accusations of bias from the company, who claim Portsmouth residents are being saddled with a worse service.

Jersey’s minister for sustainable economic development, Kirsten Morel - who was heavily involved in the bidding process - said there was no preferential treatment and was “fed up” with the accusations. DFDS said it aims to run a “reliable and resilient” schedule, with freight and passenger services also serving Poole.

What was the Portsmouth-Jersey contract bidding process and why is there a rift?

Reacting to losing the route, a Brittany Ferries spokesperson said: “We are extremely irritated. If the bid process had been played on a level playing field, we would’ve said ‘fair enough’ and moved on. But it wasn’t. As part of the original bid process for the contract to run channel island services (lasting nine months), Condor/Brittany submitted everything that was required.

“Our only competitor DFDS was disqualified because their bid had included a clause allowing them to change everything post-contract award: pricing, schedules and service levels. But the states of Jersey ripped up the process, and declared they would launch a second ‘fast track’ process, this time of two weeks duration. DFDS were immediately reinstated and were engaged by States of Jersey two weeks later. It stinks.”

In response, Mr Morel said: “I understand they’re disappointed they didn’t win the tender process, but I’m getting fed up with their continual complaints around it. There was never a bias or any prejudging.” The minister said Jersey’s relationship with Brittany was taken into consideration. “But the reality is, in both processes, their bids were problematic,” he added.

Condor Ferries and DFDS submitted bids for a new deal to operate both Channel Island routes. The current contract expires on March 23. Each proposal was assessed on four criteria, with each category having an independent officer assigned to them. The proposals would each be given a score, with a decision-making board issuing a recommendation to Mr Morel afterwards.

The minister said a second process was called after Guernsey chose Condor Ferries to run their route before the Jersey government had time to discuss their own, while also having concerns about Condor’s finances over a long period and a lack of fleet investment. He added that unlike the first process, an independent third party assessor oversaw the second stage and made recommendations. The minister said he was recommended either bidder in the first process, but DFDS in the second.

Mr Morel added: “Guernsey chose not to see the same problems that Jersey could see, and that’s where we started to go in different directions.”

The Brittany Ferries spokesperson said DFDS were “disqualified” from the first stage, which “was a problem for Morel”. “The response was to rip it up and start again,” they added. “Condor staff will be the collateral damage in this unseemly affair. Lots of loyal, hard-working members of staff are understandably worried about their futures.”

Legal dispute

DFDS announced plans to bolster its fleet by 2032 after winning the bid, adding three ferries. Fleet investment of £300m was secured for the route, paid for by DFDS. Brittany Ferries called for a judicial review into the tender process.

As reported in the BBC, Jersey's Court of Appeal heard on January 6 that “no arguable ground” was present for a review. Judge William Bailhache said the minister was not in breach of his duty by not giving reasons for terminating the first process and starting a new one. The court said Brittany Ferries’ application was not brought “sufficiently promptly” and granting relief would be “significantly detrimental to good administration".

Mr Morel said: “I want the most resilient and reliable ferry services for the island. We’ve had a history of unreliable ferry services over the last few decades.” He added: “Our ferry services are the most important piece of infrastructure our island has. It’s not something I’m going to play with. I won’t play political games with it, and I won’t ignore problems if they’re there.

“We want our ferry services to be boring. They’re front page news too often due to cancellations, problems, incidents and events. We need them to act like a toll bridge from Portsmouth to Jersey. That’s what I believe we’ll be getting with DFDS. It was always a competition between them and Brittany Ferries. They were both in it, but DFDS had the better bid, it’s that simple.”

Why was DFDS chosen over Brittany/Condor Ferries?

Mr Morel said Brittany Ferries scored 55 in the last process, compared to DFDS’s 74. He added that a “financially resilient operator and a physically resilient fleet” was needed for the route, believing DFDS could cope with the financial highs and lows of running ferries.

Mr Morel said at the end of 2023, Condor/Brittany Ferries requested £40m from the government to continue running services and not go bust. Condor avoided insolvency, but £3m was paid by Jersey and Guernsey. He added that when he asked the company if it could run the services until March 23 even if they didn’t win the tender process, they said it couldn’t be guaranteed unless a figure up to £36m was paid.

“To suddenly receive requests out of the blue for tens of millions of pounds to keep the ferry services running was a surprise,” he said. “I don’t want to talk down Brittany Ferries. I’m sure they’re financially robust, but from the tender perspective, there was a lot more comfort around DFDS investing in new ferries.”

Sailings between Portsmouth and Jersey - have they decreased?

A Brittany Ferries spokesperson said passengers will see a 33 per cent reduction in total sailings. They added that DFDS has published 302 Portsmouth departures this year, compared to Condor’s 436 last year - with its 747 sailings falling to 498 under its rival.

They said: “I think everyone should be worried about a company that reserves the right to change the fundamentals of a contract after it has won a bid process. The promises we made in the bid process were set in stone. The promises made by our competitor are like a stone being skimmed across water: it will look nice and rides the waves for a bit, but eventually, inevitably it will sink.”

Mr Morel said between 95,000 to 100,000 passengers travel by sea from the UK to Jersey every year, with 90 to 95 per cent of goods on the island - including food and medicine - being transported from Portsmouth. He added that there are more total sailings taking place.

Mr Morel said: “They’ve (DFDS) provided a timetable which fits our minimum service requirements as a tender. It’s a starting point. As DFDS understand the passenger and freight volumes better, then they will add services accordingly. We’re pretty sure they will.”

He added: “Serving Jersey only is a lower volume route, roughly two thirds of a full channel island service. the volume is lower and the need is lower. I do expect us to have more sailings added, but I don’t think we’ll reach the same number of sailings we’ll have before. If DFDS sees a profitable demand for periods of the year, they’re going to use that opportunity to satisfy that.”

DFDS response

A DFDS spokesperson said a full timetable has been released up to September 2025. They added: “DFDS has made a considerable investment into a fleet that can provide modern and comfortable accommodation for its travellers, the completion of which will impact some route availability at the start of operations but will meet the high standards we always aim to deliver.

“We acknowledge the strong history that connects Jersey to its previous operators and, as we step into this role, fully understand the concerns regarding changes in travel frequency and journey times. We are open to all feedback and will be reviewing and enhancing our timetable on an ongoing basis to ensure that the island remains well-connected to France and the UK.

“DFDS is focused on building a long-term partnership with Jersey, establishing a local team that can provide visibility and a human touch point to support its customers.”