The Jersey Chamber of Commerce acknowledges the decision to redeploy the Stena Vinga ferry for a special round-trip to Guernsey on Saturday 17th May, to accommodate football supporters attending the inter island Muratti Vase match.
However, this change, made following a community request and facilitated by Government, means the Stena Vinga will not operate its scheduled Jersey-Portsmouth overnight service on Friday 16th May, nor the Portsmouth–Jersey service on the morning of Saturday 17th May. The vessel will resume normal operations from Saturday evening. The freight service Arrow will remain unaffected.
While the Chamber recognises the cultural and community value of supporting the Muratti and the logistical constraints in balancing both passenger and freight needs, it has also expressed the very serious concerns raised by several of its members in the retail and food supply sectors.
Retailers have advised the Chamber that the loss of a scheduled freight delivery will impact the timely arrival of fresh produce and goods essential for weekend trade. The disruption is particularly acute for Saturday evening and Sunday trading, with some members indicating they will not receive replenishment stock until Monday morning. This does raise concerns around product availability, increased costs, food waste and customer confidence. With some stock likely to arrive out of date due to shorter product life, these changes in an industry already facing strong headwinds, plus the additional impacts on trade, productivity and profitability, are unwelcome.
More broadly, members have raised issues around the lack of prior consultation and limited communication regarding the change. The Chamber believes it is essential that stakeholders within the freight, retail and logistics sectors are engaged early in decisions that may affect critical supply lines, particularly given Jersey’s reliance on imported goods.
A spokesperson for the Chamber commented: “As the representative body for commerce in Jersey, the Chamber will continue to work constructively with the Government and service providers to ensure that both community events and essential services can be supported wherever possible. We believe that with appropriate consultation, planning and a greater understanding of the fuller freight process, future conflicts of this nature can be mitigated more effectively.”
Picture credit: Stena Line
