Condor has confirmed the sale of its high speed passenger catamaran, Condor Rapide, as her replacement, Condor Voyager, has entered service following completion of sea and port trials.
Rapide will start a new life for Trasmapi, an operator from Spain, after maintaining sailings for Condor for 11 years. Voyager is based in St Malo from where she is operating to Jersey, Guernsey and the UK as Condor’s summer timetable supports the recovery in tourism and hospitality in the Channel Islands.
Elwyn Dop, Condor’s Operations Director, said: “Condor Rapide was the next vessel to be changed as part of our rolling fleet replacement programme. After many years of good service it was time to replace her, so the much larger Voyager will significantly increase capacity on our key routes and this change demonstrates our commitment to the Islands.”
As border and quarantine restrictions continue to ease, Condor’s high speed fleet – comprising Voyager and Condor Liberation – is now operating direct services to the UK from Guernsey and Jersey up to five days per week, boosting car and seat capacity by 40% in comparison with previous years.
Elwyn confirmed that the lease of Voyager from Brittany Ferries provides an opportunity for Condor to fully evaluate the vessel and is certain she will be a welcome addition to the fleet. “We wanted to take the opportunity whilst it was available. The ship is very smooth and quiet with large, light open spaces and offers a significantly greater passenger and vehicle capacity than our other high speed craft. Her top speed is also higher and will reduce crossing times on the routes she operates.
“With any change of vessel, there are things to learn about and improve and we will be looking at various options and modifications in the future but we view her introduction as a positive step for ourselves and the Islands.”
