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Guernsey News

09 Mar 2020

Brittany Completes Condor Acquisition

French ferry operator Brittany Ferries said that the takeover of of Condor Ferries  has been completed. The deal, announced last year, had been subject to scrutiny by competition authorities, but work on the transition has been completed."Brittany Ferries is today the proud part-owner of Condor Ferries," it said in a press note.“This is excellent news for Brittany Ferries, our new partners and for Condor Ferries,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO Brittany Ferries. “We are committed to working closely in the months and years to come to ensure the best level of service to customers and support to our friends and colleagues in the Channel Islands. This will be business as usual for Condor, but within a new ownership structure.”Brittany Ferries is the minority shareholder in the company.

15 Nov 2019

Brittany Ferries Consortium Buys Condor

Condor Ferries, an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between UK and France, has been sold to a consortium including the French shipping company Brittany Ferries.Brittany Ferries, in consortium with the Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (ESIF), has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Condor Ferries from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).Contracts have been signed and the deal is expected to be executed following scrutiny by relevant regulatory authorities. Brittany Ferries will hold a minority stake.Condor Ferries is an operator of lifeline freight and passenger ferry services.

28 Jan 2019

MSC Secures Scrubber Loan For 86 Vessels

Container shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has secured a USD 439 million financing to fit 86 exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS) or scrubbers  to its fleet.BNP Paribas (BNPP) was the co-ordinating bank and agent on the agreement, together with a syndicate of four other banks as lenders, said the law company Watson Farley & Williams (WFW).The SINOSURE-backed loan would be used to finance the manufacturing and installation of the scrubbers on board 86 container ships owned by the MSC group in light of the implementation of the International Maritime Organisation’s low sulphur cap regulations in 2020.The WFW Paris team advising BNPP was led by Finance Partner Alexia Russell, supported by Associates Konstantina Kyprianidou and Parit Patani.WFW Paris were assisted by Alasdair

19 Mar 2018

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises to name HANSEATIC inspiration

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will hold the naming ceremony for its second expedition ship, the HANSEATIC inspiration on October 13, 2019 against the backdrop of the Belgian port city of Antwerp. It will be the first time in the city’s history that an ocean-going cruise ship has been christened in Antwerp. The announcement was made at lunchtime today by the CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Karl J. Pojer, who spoke to invited representatives of the press and the Deputy Mayor of Antwerp, Koen Kennis. Once she has been christened, the HANSEATIC inspiration will set sail from Antwerp the following day for her 15-day maiden voyage to Tenerife. Karl J. Pojer…

23 Feb 2018

All Aboard for Hedge Funds as Trade Tide Lifts Shipping

© leeyiutung / Adobe Stock

Forced to abandon ship after mistiming their investments five years ago, hedge funds are venturing back in a bid to profit from growing global trade flows. Around 90 percent of traded goods by volume are transported by sea and global shipping sectors, including dry bulk, are on course for a recovery this year after a near-decade long crisis, ratings agency S&P said in a report last week. The IMF has forecast GDP growth at 3.9 percent for 2018 and 2019 versus 3.7 percent last year, which analysts say is boosting sentiment for shipping.

05 Jun 2017

Global Marine Group Keeping Busy in 2017

(Photo: Global Marine Group)

Offshore engineering firm the Global Marine Group (GMG) reported a busy first five months of 2017 with a strong outlook for the rest of the year. The company said all key assets from the GMG fleet are currently mobilized, either supporting maintenance zone agreements around the world, or on installation, maintenance or repair contracts. “As we head into the summer months, we are extremely pleased about our robust activity level, which we feel is a reflection of our high performance standards…

07 Apr 2015

Condor Ferries Orders Open Loop SOx Scrubbers

Commodore Goodwill (Photo: Condor Ferries)

DuPont Sustainable Solutions, through its subsidiary BELCO, has been awarded a contract to supply DuPont Marine Scrubber systems to two vessels owned by Condor Ferries, a Guernsey-based company that operates year-round freight, car and passenger ferries between the Channel Islands, United Kingdom and France. DuPont will provide four, single-stream, open-loop, gas-cleaning units for Commodore Clipper and Commodore Goodwill. Exhaust gas-cleaning systems will allow the ferries to meet all IMO Annex VI sulphur requirements while continuing to operate on heavy fuel oil, DuPont said.

24 Mar 2015

Condor Sets Sail from Weymouth for the Last Time

Condor Ferries have made their final sailing from Weymouth. Cross-channel ferry services from Weymouth have come to an end with the final sailing to Guernsey. Condor is to operate a new and larger ferry on a single service from Poole instead as Weymouth's port is deemed too small. Poole's bigger facilities can accommodate their new vessel - the Condor Liberation. Condor Liberation marks a £50 million investment and, according to the ferry company, a 'new era in sea travel'. She'll make her maiden voyage this Friday. The ferry, which features the brand's new colours - dark blue, pink and gold - has Duty Free shop, children's play area, plus a range of eating and drinking outlets.

15 Jan 2015

Condor Ferries Sells 2 Vessels to Greek Firm

Condor Ferries has confirmed it is selling two ferries - Condor Vitesse and Condor Express - to make way for the new super ferry. The vessels, built in Tasmania in 1997 and 1998, have been sold to Greek firm Seajets for an undisclosed sum. The two ferries currently operate between Guernsey, Jersey and the U.K. They will be replaced on the service by a GBP50mln Austal-class vessel, which was bought earlier this year, and has yet to be given a name. Due to the size of the vessel, known as Condor 102, the company will no longer sail to Weymouth and will only go to Poole. The company said that Vitesse is no longer required on the U.K. to Channel Island routes and will be delivered to a new owner at the end of February.

25 Sep 2012

New Freight Ferry Grounds on First Trip

'Huelin Dispatch' Photo courtesy of Huelin-Renouf Shipping

Huelin Renouf Shipping Limited's new freight ferry briefly aground offshore Alderney, UK Channel Islands then limps to Falmouth for drydock repairs. The 88.6 m freight ferry 'Huelin Dispatch' touched ground SW of Alderney, while on costal passage from Southampton, UK,  and was holed in the after part. After the crew carried out damage control the ship was floated off and headed for drydock in Falmouth. The owners confirmed that crew and cargo were safe and sound. Huelin-Renouf Shipping has been serving the Channel Islands since 1935 and is today a leading provider of shipping…

03 Jul 2012

Cruise Ship Fires Indian Waiters

P&O Cruises have sacked 150 Indian waiters for protesting wages as low as 75 pence per hour (US$1.17) – eight times below the national minimum, reports the 'Hindustan Times'. The waiters, the lowest paid in an Indian restaurant on board the cruise ship Arcadia, were sacked after going on a 90-minute, apparently good-natured protest. The action was prompted by plans to replace cash tips — a key supplement to basic wages — with billed tips that would be used to fund performance-related bonuses. The Indian waiters were hired by Fleet Maritime Service International, a Mumbai-based firm registered in Bermuda with its payroll office in Guernsey, a tax haven, thus allowing it to ignore Britain’s minimum wage law of £6.08 (US$ 9.45) per hour.

17 Dec 2009

Obstacle Avoidance Sonar Installed on Tanker

Photo courtesy PEMS Marine & Offshore PR

A forward-looking sonar from Marine Electronics Ltd of Guernsey, UK, has been installed aboard a British-operated tanker as a major initiative to refine operational safety. The See Echo system was developed by Marine Electronics in cooperation with the ship owner to provide a three-dimensional image of the sea up to one kilometre ahead of the vessel. It is now undergoing a trials programme which, if successful, will result in its installation aboard other ships in the company’s substantial fleet.

18 Jan 2008

Freighter to Replace Damaged Ship

Commodore Goodwill sustained damage to its hull during high winds on December 10 and it is not known when it will be back in service. The ship usually delivers some food and goods to Guernsey. Condor Ferries has chartered the Triumph. The replacement ship will begin daily sailings to Guernsey from 1 February. Source: BBC

02 Feb 2006

Sailors Safe After Ship Collision

Sailors were rescued off the English Channel in the United Kingdom after a chemical tanker collided with another vessel at dawn, the Manila Standard Today reported. 22 crewmembers were rescued by a British coastguard boat and a Royal Air Force (RAF) helicopter and then taken to St. Margaret’s Lodge, a hospital on the British island of Guernsey, according to reports by a RAF officer and Ambassador to London Edgardo Espiritu. The tanker Ece, which was carrying 10,000 tons of phosphoric acid, collided with a Maltese-registered cargo ship loaded with 26,000 tons of phosphorus. Divers were scheduled to inspect the hull of the chemical tanker, which was badly damaged, to assess pollution risks.

31 Jan 2006

Crew Rescued from Tanker

The U.K Coast Guard helicopter, India Juliet, from Lee on Solent airlifted ten crewmen from the tanker Ece which was in collision with a bulk carrier General Grot-Rowecki. Twelve other crewmen were also rescued from the ship by the St. Peterport RNLI lifeboat. All twenty-two of the crew have been taken to Guernsey. No serious injuries have been reported. India Juliet is now re-fueling in Guernsey and will be returning to the scene to assist as necessary. A French naval tug is now on scene assessing the situation with 'Ece'. Once the assessment is complete, plans will be made regarding the possible removal of the ship. The 8,003 ton chemical tanker, Ece is Marshall Islands registered and was reported to have damage with some of its cargo leaking.

08 May 2006

No Injuries in Britain Cruise Ship Fire

According to reports a fire broke out in the engine room of the Calypso and was put out by the crew in about three hours on Saturday. Authorities say no one was hurt in a cruise ship fire in the English Channel. The ship was carrying 462 passengers, virtually all of them Dutch, and a crew of 246. The British Maritime and Coast Guard Agency says search and rescue units were dispatched to the scene off the southern coast of England. Lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter were sent to the stricken liner but crew members had put out the fire in the engine room before they arrived. The ship was heading for the port of St. Peter on the island of Guernsey at the time of the fire. The maritime agency says the ship will be towed to Southampton because of damage to the engines.