Condor has confirmed that passenger services will recommence this weekend after talks were held this week to resolve the dispute in St Malo.
Following discussions between port users, the Port of St Malo, stevedores and their representatives, Condor is to start passenger sailings from Jersey using Condor Rapide from tomorrow, Friday 17 July.
Elwyn Dop, Condor’s Operations Director, said everyone is really pleased to be up and running again. “It has been, and still is, a really challenging time for us without any French services since March, so we are delighted we can commence our first high speed sailing to St Malo to coincide with the start of the school summer holidays”.
Condor has introduced a range of safety measures due to Covid-19 which includes a reduced capacity on board and all travellers will be required to wear face coverings. These measures have been successfully used on the UK-Jersey route recently and will be adopted for the Jersey-St Malo sailings.
Other protocols introduced include self-service for food and beverage, floor distancing markers and protection screens installed plus contactless payments for shopping onboard. An enhanced hygiene procedure will increase the frequency of cleaning in line with up to date international guidance and all Condor staff have been issued with additional Personal Protection Equipment. In Jersey and St Malo, passengers will be asked to check-in earlier than usual to ensure safe embarkation.
Mr Dop added, ‘We are grateful to the Government of Jersey for confirming a re-opening of the borders a couple of weeks’ ago so Condor can now start to support the Island’s tourism economy and provide travel options for Islanders.’
Condor’s weekly Commodore Goodwill service between Portsmouth, the Islands and St Malo is not operating this Saturday as discussions continue on allowing freight shipments to resume.
