Condor Ferries

Condor Ferries was an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between the United Kingdom, Guernsey, Jersey and France.

History

Condor Ferries was formed in 1964 by Channel Island businessmen Peter Dorey and Jack Norman. Condor was two thirds owned by Onesimus Dorey & Sons, led by Dorey, with the remaining third largely held by Jack Norman of Commodore Shipping, linking the two companies. The company originally operated services only between the Channel Islands and St Malo. In a 2014 interview with the Guernsey Press, Dorey's son, Rupert recalled "it was a ballsy, risky thing to do to start the business in the first place in 1964, with no guarantees of success. It was very innovative at the time but it wasn't even clear whether the local waters would suit the hydrofoil boat, and there were problems to overcome. It made losses for two or three years but then they rolled the dice, decided to double up the service and buy another boat, it was one huge risk but it paid off."

Peter Dorey was lost at sea in a sailing accident whilst competing in the 1979 Fastnet Race, with his interest passing to his wife, Tattie. Four years later, in 1983, Commodore Shipping acquired all remaining shares in Condor which it did not own, with David Norman being appointed managing director. In 1992 Australian logistics and transport company, TNT, acquired a 50% shareholding in Condor Ferries.

Expansion

Condor Ferries established the first high-speed car ferry service to the Channel Islands from Weymouth in 1993 using the 74m Incat catamaran ''Condor 10''. In the winter of 1993/1994, one of Condor's parent companies, Commodore Shipping, took over British Channel Island Ferries (BCIF) which operated conventional ferry services to the Channel Islands from Poole. Upon the BCIF takeover, Condor moved all passenger services to Weymouth and the BCIF freight service was transferred to Commodore Shipping. The BCIF vessel ''Havelet'' ran a conventional ferry service from Weymouth from 1994 alongside the ''Condor 10''.

TNT's 50% share in Condor was spun-off just two years after their purchase with the rest of TNT's Shipping and Development Division and floated on the Australian Securities Exchange. to become part of Holyman.

New UK bases, purchase of the ''Havelet'' and ''Condor Vitesse''

In March 1997, Condor moved its UK port to Poole. The ''Condor Express'' suffered technical problems that led to late-running services. As a result, the Channel Island governments put the licence to operate ferry services to the UK out to tender. P&O European Ferries and Hoverspeed submitted bids to run the service but ultimately Condor retained the licence but was forced to purchase the ''Havelet'' to act as an all-weather back-up until the delivery of a new conventional vessel in 1999. It also purchased the ''Condor Vitesse'' for a new service to St Malo via Guernsey and made Weymouth its primary UK port, though retaining summer sailings from Poole.

In 1998, Holyman's 50% stake in Condor was sold back to Commodore Shipping, giving them, once again, full ownership of Condor Ferries.

Introduction of ''Condor 10'', management buy-out, rebranding and sale

''Condor 10'' returned to the fleet in March 2002 to replace the ''Condor 9'' on the St Malo – Channel Island service and to fully compete with the existing fast car ferry service of Emeraude Lines. Later that year, the Commodore Group, which included Condor Ferries, Commodore Ferries and Commodore Express, was sold to a management buy-out team for a reported £150 million. The deal was backed by ABN AMRO. Shortly after, the Condor Ferries logo was redesigned for the start of the 2003 season using the same font as the logo Brittany Ferries had adopted in 2002. In 2004, the group was rebranded with Commodore Ferries coming under the Condor Ferries name and Commodore Express becoming Condor Logistics. The group was sold once again in 2004 to the Royal Bank of Scotland's venture capital arm for £240 million.

Acquisition by the Macquarie Group

In 2008, the Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund II acquired the Condor Group.

Closure of Condor Logistics

It was announced on 4 October 2012 that Condor Logistics would close its operations with the loss of about 180 jobs (110 in the UK, 50 in Jersey and 20 in Guernsey). The move was blamed on changes to low-value consignment relief affecting the Channel Islands.

Purchase and introduction of ''Condor Liberation''

In 2012, Condor Ferries extended its agreement to run Channel Island services until 2018. Shortly afterwards, Condor began to seek a suitable replacement for both ''Condor Express'' and ''Condor Vitesse''. It was then announced that both vessels were to be sold and replaced by the much larger ''Condor Liberation'', then known as ''Condor 102''. After being modified at Austal's Philippines yard, it entered service with Condor Ferries on 27 March 2015 operating out of Poole on the Dorset coast.

However, due to the size of ''Condor Liberation'', ferry services to Weymouth ended as the vessel was deemed 'too big' to dock into the town's small port.

Brittany Ferries partnership

In 2001, Condor started operating a Poole – Cherbourg fastcraft service on behalf of Brittany Ferries using the ''Condor Vitesse'' which sported a joint livery. The service ran between mid-May and late October, leaving Poole at 07:30 and arriving back from Cherbourg at 12:45. ''Condor Vitesse'' then operated the Condor service to St Malo arriving back in Poole by midnight.

In August 2005, ''Condor Express'' briefly ran on the Poole – Cherbourg service. The ''Condor Express'' had been experiencing technical problems and so the ''Condor Vitesse'' was transferred to the more taxing Channel Islands service. ''Condor Express'' also operated the Poole-Cherbourg route in 2008.

Between 2022 and 2023, Condor operated fast-ferry services between Poole, Portsmouth and Cherbourg using the ''Condor Liberation'' during summer months.

Sale and purchase

In June 2019, the UK based UK-based financial website ''This is Money'', reported that Macquarie Group was looking to wind down Condor's then owner, the Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 2. Rumors had surfaced for a few years beforehand when Deputy Peter Ferbrache, formerly the President of Guernsey's Committee for Economic Development, said in a Scrutiny hearing that the company was on the market.

It was announced on 14 November 2019 that the European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund managed by Columbia Threadneedle Investments had purchased Condor, forming a consortium with Brittany Ferries, who also bought a minority stake in the company.

Ferry tender and Brittany Ferries' majority take-over

In August 2024, it was announced that Brittany Ferries was set to become the majority owner pending the approval of regulators in Jersey and Guernsey. The proposed deal would see Brittany increase their stake from 29% to 51% with Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund retaining a minority shareholding.

Following becoming the majority shareholder, Brittany Ferries was announced as Guernsey's preferred company to operate the 15-year service contract that was being tendered, with the company now having access to Condor's fleet.

On 3 December 2024, Jersey announced DFDS Seaways as its preferred operator for the next 15 years from spring 2025, ending Condor's 60 years of lifeline operations in Jersey.

On 28 March 2025, the Guernsey-only operation was taken over by Brittany Ferries, marking the end of the 60-year history of the Condor Ferries brand.

Routes

Until March 2025, Condor Ferries operated the following routes:

Fleet

Until March 2025, Condor Ferries operated the following vessels:

Past fleet

Condors 1 to 7

The initial series of Condor ferries were all hydrofoil passenger ferries, with the exception of ''Condor 6'' which was a passenger only catamaran.

''Havelet''

Built in 1977 in Norway for Brittany Ferries for their Plymouth to Roscoff route, and originally named ''Cornouailles'', she was transferred to British Channel Island Ferries in 1989 and renamed ''Havelet''. She was powered by two 16 cylinder Pielstick PA6V280 diesels of 5,600bhp each. Condor purchased BCIF in 1994 and ''Havelet'' was used to operate a conventional service from Weymouth until 1996 when she was laid up as it was thought that ''Condor Express'' would be able to handle the winter weather. Condor was forced to reactivate and purchase the ''Havelet'' in 1998 prior to the arrival of ''Commodore Clipper'' to act as back up for the fastcraft.

Sale

''Havelet'' was sold in 2000 to Montenegro Lines where she was renamed the ''Sveti Stefan'' and sailed between Bari and Bar until April 2013 when she sailed to Aliağa, Turkey to be broken up.

''Condor 8''

Passenger only catamaran, built in Singapore by Fairey Marinteknik. Powered by two MTU 16V396 diesels, waterjet propulsion.

Sale

''Condor 8'' was renamed Waterways 1. She was sold again in January 2000, to SNAV. Her new owner changed her name to SNAV Aries, and introduced her on a route linking Anzio and Ponza, in Italy.

''Condor 9''

Fast passenger-only catamaran. Built in 1990 in Fareham by Aluminium Shipsbuilders to an Incat design. IMO8906717. She was powered by four 16 cylinder Deutz MWM high speed diesel engines of 2,256bhp each, driving MJP waterjets.
Built for the Weymouth – Channel Islands route but was replaced by ''Condor 10''. ''Condor 9'' saw work on the inter-island routes and between the Channel Islands and St Malo. Summer 1994, she was chartered to Viking Lines on the Helsinki to Tallinn route. From October 1994 to May 1995, she operated as 'Sun Island Jet Express' between Trinidad and Tobago. For the 1995 and 1996 season, ''Condor 9'' operated from Torquay to the Islands. In 1997, she operated between Poole and St Malo via the Channel Islands. In her last years with Condor she was used between St Malo and Jersey until she was again replaced by ''Condor 10''.

Sale

''Condor 9'' was sold to Stetson Navigation as the ''Cortez'', and used in the Sea of Cortez. After suffering from an engine fire, she was sold in 2004 to a Connecticut-based company Block Island Ferry Services, LLC d/b/a Block Island Express and was renamed the ''Jessica W''. She is now currently used to transport (mostly) tourists to Block Island, a well known New England travel destination 14 miles off the coast of Rhode Island.

In 2014 she was re-engined with four new
12-cyl Caterpillar 3512C diesels.

''Condor 10''

''Condor 10'' was built 1993 and was in service with Condor between 1993-1994 and again between 2002 and 2011. She was sold in September 2011 to a South Korean Company and renamed ''Hanil Blue Narae''.
IMO9001526.

''Condor 11''

Incat 78m catamaran was brought into service in March 1995 and used for less than one season on the Weymouth – Channel Islands route. Between March and May 1995, the Weymouth service was operated by the chartered ''Seacat Isle of Man''. The ''Condor 11'' finally entered service on 18 May 1995. She was used for one season on the route before being redeployed to Cat-Link in Denmark. She is currently known as ''Fares 2'' and sails the Red Sea.

''Condor 12''

Incat 81m catamaran which operated for the 1996 season between Weymouth and the Channel Islands. She was sent to Holyman Sally Ferries in 1997 as the ''Holyman Rapide''. She briefly returned to Condor as the ''Rapide'' to cover for the refit of the ''Condor Express'' in early 1998.

Sale

''Condor 12'' was redeployed to Holyman's new Ramsgate – Ostend service and renamed ''Holyman Rapide''. In June 2006 ''Rapide'' left the channel probably for the last time bound for a new career in the Mediterranean with Balearia Ferries, renamed ''Jaume II''.
IMO9116113.

''Condor Express''

In 1997, ''Condor 12'' and ''Havelet'' places on the Channel Island route were taken by another Incat, this time an 86m design which was named ''Condor Express''.

As part of the ''Condor Liberation'' purchase, ''Condor Express'' was sold to a Greek ferry company Seajets. She remained on standby with Condor Ferries until the successful introduction of ''Condor Liberation'' on the Channel Islands-to-UK route. The ''Express'' was very reluctantly put back into service with a very limited service after the ''Liberations accident, and departed for the Greek islands in 2015. Her new name is ''Champion Jet 2''.
IMO9135896.

''Condor Vitesse''

On 14 January 2015, a deal was announced between Condor Ferries and Greek ferry firm Seajets for the sale of both the ''Condor Express'' and ''Condor Vitesse'' for an undisclosed sum (internal company rumours are €9 million), with the plan being for both vessels to be replaced by the new ''Condor Liberation''. The company said the ''Vitesse'' would be delivered to its new owner at the end of February. Her new name is ''Champion Jet 1''.
IMO9151008.

''Condor Rapide''

''Condor Rapide'' was introduced in 2010 to replace the ''Condor 10''.

It was announced on 8 July 2021 that the ''Rapide'' had been sold to a Spanish ferry operator Trasmapi, with the ''Condor Voyager'' replacing the vessel.

Registration

The vessels of Condor's fleet are all registered in the Bahamas. In the past, some vessels were registered in Cyprus.

Accidents and incidents

Since its founding in 1964, Condor Ferries have been involved in numerous accidents, with some becoming high-profile.

Incidents with HD Ferries

On 11 May 2007 HD Ferries' ship ''HD1'' had collided with the ''Commodore Goodwill'' in Jersey Harbour.

A more serious incident occurred on 28 July 2007 when ''HD1'', while manoeuvring in Jersey Harbour, collided with '' Condor Express'' which was berthed at the time. ''HD1'' was holed above the waterline while ''Condor Express'' suffered only minor damage to its paintwork.

Condor issued a press release on 3 August 2007 condemning HD Ferries, which HD responded to with its own press release. ''HD1'' later had its wave height limit reduced from 2.5 metres to 2m (Condor being able to operate its larger fastcraft in seas up to 3.5 metres), and on 19 August 2007 the HD Ferries ramp permit for Jersey and Guernsey was withdrawn, preventing the company from operating. It recommenced operations on 25 August 2007.

In a press release issued on 2 October 2007, HD Ferries stated that it was preparing to take legal action against Condor concerning the statement published by the company on 3 August 2007, but this was not done.

Following HD Ferries' decision to withdraw its service early in September 2008 and not operate a winter service, the States of Jersey indicated that HD Ferries was unlikely to be allowed a ramp licence again.

''Condor 11 grounding''

On 9 October 1994 ''Condor 11'' was on sea trials off Tasmania and travelling at 36 knots under the command of Incat managing director Robert Clifford when she struck Black Jack Reef some 12 miles off Hobart.

''Commodore Goodwill'' collision with harbour wall

On 10 December 2007, bad weather caused the ''Commodore Goodwill'' to strike the entrance to La Collette yacht basin in St Helier harbour. One of the vessel's propellers was damaged and the ship was sent to Falmouth for the damaged part to be removed to return the ship to service as soon as possible in the run-up to Christmas. On 13 December 2007, the Brittany Ferries freight vessel '' Coutances'' was chartered to temporarily take the ''Commodore Goodwill's'' place.

''Commodore Clipper'' Fire 2010

A fire broke out on the Commodore Clipper's lower vehicle deck in the early hours of 16 June 2010 whilst it was travelling from Jersey to Portsmouth. The fire was the result of an electrical fault in a freight truck loaded with potatoes. Combining factors including potatoes from the damaged freight truck blocking onboard drains, preventing water from the drench system from draining, resulted in the ferry listing to its port side for an extended period of time. 62 passengers were stranded on board the ferry for around 20 hours. Eventually, all passengers safely disembarked the ferry once it arrived in Portsmouth, with the truck pulled out of the ferry and the fire was shortly put out. Significant damage was done to the truck and other freight trailers, as well as heat damage to a small area of the lower vehicle deck and also the failure of some onboard systems.

''Condor Vitesse'' collision with a French fishing boat

At approximately 0645 UTC on 28 March 2011 the '' Condor Vitesse'' was in collision with a Granville fishing boat, the 9.3m ''Les Marquises'', in the vicinity of the Minquiers reef south of Jersey while en route from St Malo in foggy conditions. Two of the French fishermen were rescued from the water by the ferry's safety boats. The skipper of ''Les Marquises'', 42-year-old Philippe Claude Lesaulnier, was rescued by another fishing boat ''Joker'' and transferred to Jersey's lifeboat, but died later the same day in Jersey's hospital. An inquest in Jersey revealed that Lesaulnier died of crush injuries to the upper abdomen, and drowning. He was married with four children.

An investigation began. The French investigator, Renauld Gaudeul, procureur de la République de Coutances said that the speed of the ferry would be of key importance to the investigation. On 19 October 2011, the BEAmer released its report. In summary, ''"Condor Vitesse sailed from Saint-Malo in thick fog conditions; the fog horn had been inactivated very early and the visual lookout had not been strengthened. The speed had progressively reached 37 knots. In the wheelhouse almost continuous talks without any link with the watchkeeping, maintained an atmosphere not compatible with the necessary concentration to conduct a HSC in the fog. This behavior, as well as the visibility are the causal factors of the accident. When Condor Vitesse approached the Minquiers waters, both officers did not detect 2 vessel echoes ahead on starboard, the first was a ship that would be passing at a hundred of meters on starboard, the second was Les Marquises. The potter was fishing, with her radar on, without emitting any sound signals. A hand saw the HSC at the last moment but too late to alert the skipper. The collision cut the fishing vessel in two parts, while on board the HSC there was a leak in the starboard bow compartment. The aft part of the potter kept afloat for a time, allowing the two hands to stay on it until they have been rescued by the HSC crew."''

On 11 September 2013 the court in Coutances found the Vitesse captain Paul Le Romancer and first officer Yves Tournon (both of whom no longer work for Condor) guilty of manslaughter, involuntary injury and failure to respect maritime regulations. Tournon was later exonerated by the Caen appeal court, which quashed his conviction.

''Commodore Clipper'' grounding

On 14 July 2014, ''Commodore Clipper'' accidentally grounded off Guernsey. The key findings of an investigation by Marine Accident Investigation Branch were:

* There had not been enough planning for the trip – in part because the repetitive nature of the schedule had led to "complacency".
* The crew refused to acknowledge that the ship might have grounded, partly because the alarms that could have told them it had been disabled
* Insufficient passage planning meant that the bridge team headed into danger without appreciation of the navigational risk. The planning issues not properly considered were: the very low tide, the effect of the ship 'squatting' in shallow water at high speed and the accuracy of the chart data.
* The possibility that the vessel had grounded was denied. In the circumstances of a shuddering vibration, it is important that the crew establish the state of their vessel by searching for damage.
* The repetitive nature of ferry operations can induce a degree of complacency when planning.
* The electronic navigation system was not being utilised effectively because safety settings were not appropriate to the local conditions, warnings were ignored and the audible alarm was disabled.
* As the responsible authority, Guernsey Harbours did not have an effective risk assessment or safety management plan for the conduct of navigation in its statutory pilotage area.

Condor Ferries says it entirely accepts the findings of its detailed and thorough report.

''Condor Liberation'' berthing collision

On 28 March 2015, the day after ''Condor Liberation'' entered service, she was blown onto the quayside in Guernsey and had to be taken out of service and returned to Poole for repairs. All passengers had to wait in Guernsey for the ''Commodore Clipper'' to arrive to take them to Portsmouth instead of Poole.

''Commodore Goodwill'' collision with a fishing boat

On 8 December 2022, the ''Commodore Goodwill'' had departed from Guernsey at 04:41 bound for Jersey when at around 05:30 it collided with the ''L'Ecume II'', an fishing trawler. The Jersey registered trawler sank in of water, west of St. Ouen's bay with three fishermen on board. The skipper of the ''L'Ecume II'' Michael Michieli and his two Filipino crewmen Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat were searched for, unsuccessfully; by 13 December two bodies had been found and were later brought ashore, with the search continuing. After inspection by divers the ''Commodore Goodwill'' was cleared to re-enter service. An investigation was started, with a remotely operated underwater vehicle used to survey the shipwreck. As ''Commodore Goodwill'' is registered in the Bahamas, the Bahamas Maritime Authority is responsible for conducting a safety focused investigation. Plans were made to raise the fishing boat from the seabed to help advance the investigation, however the skipper's body was recovered from the wreck while it was still on the seabed and only part of the wreckage was lifted onto land for investigative purposes. The file from the investigation by the States of Jersey Police, known as Operation Nectar, has been passed to Jersey's Law Officers' Department for review.

References

Notes

Bibliography

*

External links

Official website

HSC Jessica W on Vessel Finder

{{Macquarie Group, state=collapsed

Ferry companies of Guernsey
Ferry companies of Jersey
Ferry companies of England
Ferry companies of France
Connections across the English Channel
Transport in Dorset
Transport in Normandy
Transport in Brittany
Transport companies established in 1964
1964 establishments in Guernsey