Start of new inter-island ferry service postponed

A new inter-island ferry service which had been due to start on Friday morning has been postponed.

A spokesperson for the ferry operator Islands Unlimited said it had "no choice but to delay" after it had "experienced delays to our operational readiness".

Difficulties trialling the vessel this week had meant it had not been able to complete "operational preparations" in time for Friday, the company said.

The spokesperson said the 316-passenger, high-speed catamaran San Pawl would begin its daily inter-island foot passenger service between Guernsey and Jersey on 5 June.

Its statement said: "Regrettably, due to the weather earlier this week, we have only been able to trial the ship in Jersey today and had hoped that all of our operational preparations would have been completed in time...

"Unfortunately, this is not the case and we have to delay our commencement date."

The company said the delays "had impacted our ability to complete our obligations as required by the relevant authorities".

A spokesperson for Ports of Jersey said it was "working closely with our counterparts in Guernsey and the operator to support the launch of this new inter-island service".

They added: "Establishing a new operation of this kind involves a number of steps, and we look forward to the service commencing next week."

The Islands Unlimited spokesperson said: "We deeply regret to find ourselves in this situation and for the inconvenience this may cause."

All customers affected were being contacted by email, they said.

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