Brittany Ferries has confirmed its intention to become the majority owner of the UK-Channel Islands-France operator Condor Ferries, pending approval from the Islands’ regulatory authorities.
As Multimodal reports, the approval from the authorities is to take place over the next few weeks.
Christophe Mathieu, CEO of both Brittany Ferries and Condor, said: “Brittany Ferries has the experience, expertise, and scale, along with extensive knowledge of the transport sector and customer service, to implement best practices, which ultimately will result in a better service for Condor’s passengers.
“This change demonstrates our commitment to the Islands, shows Brittany Ferries is adding strength and depth to the existing team, and delivers continuity and resilience in the long term.
He added, “We believe we operate exactly the right fleet for the Islands: a mix of conventional freight and passenger ferries for lifeline freight and travel for Islanders, alongside the high speed vessels that are essential for supporting the visitor economies of Jersey and Guernsey.”
Once approved by the regulatory authorities in Jersey and Guernsey, Brittany Ferries will notably own a 51% stake in Condor Ferries, with Columbia Threadneedle retaining a minority shareholding.
More here from Afloat which highlights among the fleet of Condor is the Commodore Clipper, which in April was chartered to Brittany Ferries for the Rosslare-Cherbourg route.
The move is to boost connectivity ahead of the arrival of its rail-ferry ‘Ferroutage’ service in 2025 between Bayonne with Cherbourg by rail, carrying trailers for onward transport by ferry.
A near-sister, Condor Islander (see Navy story), joined the Channel Islands operator last year having served in New Zealand for StraitNZ’s subsidiary Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries, linking the north and south islands.
