Guernsey's Economic Development Committee has announced Britanny Ferries as its preferred bidder to operate the bailiwick's ferry routes.

The company was one of three which expressed an interest in a joint 15-year contract serving Guernsey and Jersey. DFDS and Irish Ferries were also being considered.

The decision was originally due to be announced by the end of September 2024 but was due to be announced in November. Island FM understands the delay was to allow the islands' governments time to agree on which operator should be awarded the contract.

However, Guernsey's announcement preceded a shared decision being reached with Jersey and contracts being agreed.

The Economic Development Committee says it "wanted to provide certainty" for islanders after members unanimously decided Britanny Ferries was its preferred bidder.

It says the decision—which is still subject to final negotiations—was based on Britanny Ferries' assurances that they would be able to take over from its subsidiary Condor Ferries "immediately and seamlessly" using the company's existing fleet.

A statement from the committee says Guernsey would prefer to continue running a "shared pan-Channel Islands service with Jersey" but that is still yet to be agreed. The committee says its decision "does not preclude Jersey also selecting the same operator in future".

Deputy Neil Inder, the President of the Economic Development Committee said: "At this stage Guernsey and Jersey have not reached a shared view on how to proceed. That is not for me to comment on, and I understand political discussions in Jersey are ongoing. All I can say at this stage is that while both islands share common objectives, agreement has not yet been reached on the best way to jointly deliver those objectives.

"The Committee has not taken the decision to push ahead alone at this stage lightly, but following the objective evaluation process Brittany Ferries' bid was successful and we are committed to providing certainty to islanders as soon as we were able to do so.

"An arrangement will be put in place with Brittany Ferries, which leaves the door open for Jersey if Jersey does decide to seek a different approach. This outcome is not a failure of the tender process. The process has enabled us to consider and test a number of different options and secure the best possible deal for islanders."

Deputy Inder denied the decision meant the joint tender process with Jersey had been a failure.

Deputy Inder added: "We are very pleased to be working with Brittany Ferries, given that they already have the fleet and infrastructure to provide the services, a commitment to enhancing those services, and the 2025 schedule will be published during November. This gives supply lines, shops and supermarkets, logistics and employees of the winning bidder the certainty they so desperately needed.

"If we do move to a Guernsey-only service from Brittany Ferries, the new arrangement would mean that the way that some services operate will be changed, but we will have the same freight and passenger capacity for our community, improved resilience in the fleet, and the benefit of Brittany Ferries' expertise, willingness to innovate, and commitment to improved customer services. We will then move to considering how we can secure investment in new vessels.

"This has not been an easy process at times, but it has been thorough and approached by the States of Guernsey in a professional manner - in line with the expectations our community would have for such a significant decision and for the use of their money.

"At this stage, we now move into a phase of commercial negotiation and continue to follow a proper process, which means a need to keep the ongoing discussions with Brittany confidential for understandable reasons. We will also continue talking to Jersey."

Christophe Mathieu, Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries' CEO, said: “Naturally, we are thrilled that the States of Guernsey is to grant us a new operating licence and are grateful for the opportunity to develop our vital sea links over the next 15 years.

"As we have maintained from the beginning, we have the right ships, the right schedule and experience to support the Bailiwick in the long term.

"We also look forward to the Government of Jersey joining us in this initiative. With over 70 years of providing freight and passenger services to Guernsey and Jersey, collaborating will allow us to optimise the schedule for the benefit of both Islands.

A spokesperson for Jersey's government said it recognises the importance of this decision: "We are doing everything possible to ensure a swift conclusion.

"We’re planning to meet with both bidders in the next 24 hours, as we have further questions that need to be answered.”