British Channel Island Ferries

Last updated

British Channel Island Ferries
IndustryPassenger transportation
Freight transportation
Founded1984
Defunct1994
FateAcquired by Commodore Shipping 1994
Successor Condor Ferries
Headquarters Weymouth, United Kingdom
Area served
Channel Islands
Beauport entering Poole Harbour British Channel Island Ferry entering Poole Harbour - geograph.org.uk - 333510.jpg
Beauport entering Poole Harbour

British Channel Island Ferries (BCIF) was a ferry operator who ran services between the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands.

Contents

History

Channel Island Ferries

The company was founded in late 1984 as Channel Island Ferries by a consortium made up of Brittany Ferries, Huelin Renouf and Mainland Market Deliveries (MMD) to compete with Sealink British Ferries services to Portsmouth and Weymouth. Channel Island Ferries established their service from Portsmouth to the Channel Islands late in March 1985 using the ferry Corbière, previously the Benodet of Brittany Ferries. Sealink British Ferries had made a number of unpopular changes to its services and fare structure for the 1985 season which resulted in Channel Island Ferries gaining 85% of the passenger market from Portsmouth, this later dropped to 55% in 1986 after Sealink reorganised their fares and sailings to combat Channel Island Ferries following massive losses. The company had made such an impact on the Channel Island market that Sealink entered into talks to merge the two companies operations to save money and reduce over-capacity. The joint venture was announced on 30 September 1986. The plans was for the new company to be known as British Channel Island Ferries and operate the Corbiere and Sealink's Earl Granville from Portsmouth and maintain a summer only service from Weymouth using another Sealink vessel. The announcement resulted in almost immediate strike action by the crews of the four Sealink vessels which included the blockade of Guernsey's only linkspan by the Earl William forcing Channel Island Ferries to suspend service to the island for five days, the service resumed after Earl William sailed to Weymouth to join the other Sealink ships on strike.

Earl William leaving St Peter Port in 1983 Earl William leaving St Peter Port in 1983.jpg
Earl William leaving St Peter Port in 1983

Sealink were unable to reach an agreement with their crew to join the new service which meant Sealink were not able to fulfil its agreement to provide the Earl Granville and another ship for the new service. Channel Island Ferries later took out a series of high court injunctions against Sealink which allowed Channel Island Ferries to trade as British Channel Island Ferries and prevented Sealink for offering a service to the Islands for twelve months

British Channel Island Ferries

With only one ship the company required two additional vessels to run a full service to the Channel Islands. They chartered the Brittany Ferries freight ferry Briezh-Izel to run alongside the Corbière from Portsmouth and the Portelet to run a new service from Weymouth which was to last until 1 October 1988. The service from Portsmouth was maintained until the end of 1988 when BCIF moved to Poole which allowed the company to reduce crossing times to the Islands by up to two hours. Corbière was replaced by the Rozel on the new service in February 1989. The Rozel was the largest ship ever used on the Channel Island service and became a popular addition to the fleet. The Briezh-Izel was initially replaced by the Corbière running freight only until the arrival of the Havelet, formerly the Cornouailles, from Brittany Ferries' Truckline service. The Corbière then left the fleet for further service with Brittany Ferries on their Truckline passenger service between Poole and Cherbourg. The move to Poole and the introduction of the Rozel was a successful one for the company but growth in the freight market from the port was slow, this led to the establishment of a rival service from Portsmouth by Commodore Shipping and MMD. BCIF was also facing growing competition from air travel and Condor Ferries passenger-only services from Weymouth.

Downfall

In late summer 1991 it was announced that the company had not renewed the charter of the Rozel and that she would be replaced by the Reine Mathilde from Brittany Ferries which was renamed Beauport. This ship was smaller and not as popular with passengers as the Rozel and was one of the contributing factors to the downfall of the company. In 1993 Condor Ferries introduced a high speed catamaran service from Weymouth to the Channel Island for passengers and vehicles. This was to have a significant effect on BCIF who operated a reduced passenger service for that season and were involved in a price war with Condor. Passenger numbers fell significantly and the charter of the Beauport was not renewed at the end of 1993. The company planned that the Havelet would be their main passenger ship for the 1994 season with the Truckline vessel Purbeck being brought as freight ship. In January 1994 it was announced that British Channel Island Ferries had been bought by Commodore Shipping, freight services were transferred to Commodore Ferries at Portsmouth and passenger operations moved to Condor at Weymouth where the Havelet would run a conventional service alongside the Condor 10.

Fleet

Throughout its years of operation the company also chartered a number of Brittany Ferries vessels for use during refit periods. These included the Armorique, Coutances , Duchesse Anne and also the Reine Mathilde and Purbeck prior to them becoming part of the BCIF fleet in 1992 and 1994 respectively.

Routes

Former BCIF routes today

British Channel Island Ferries passenger services were taken over by Condor Ferries in 1994. The Havelet operated a conventional passenger service with the company until late 1996 when she was laid up. She would later re-enter service with Condor after reliability problems with the Condor Express and demands from Islanders for a reliable winter service. Havelet was eventually replaced by the Commodore Clipper which returned conventional Channel Island services to Portsmouth in 1999. The Purbeck spent a short time with Commodore Ferries before being chartered out to a variety of companies including Brittany Ferries on a number of occasions. She remained under the ownership of Channel Island Ferries until she was sold to Interisland Line in 2003 and later a South American company in early 2007 .

Condor Ferries established a fast ferry service from Poole in 1997 and now maintain a summer service to the Islands and St Malo from the port.

Corbière House, the Poole headquarters of the company until its demise still retains a BCIF style sign to this day, one of the few reminders of the companies' time at the port.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Jersey</span> Overview and history of transport in Jersey

Transport in Jersey is primarily through the motor vehicle. The island, which is the largest of the Channel Islands has 124,737 registered vehicles (2016). The island is committed to combatting climate change, having declared a climate emergency, and policy is focused on reducing dependence on the car. The island has a cycle network and bus service. The primary modes of transport for leaving the island are by air or sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poole Harbour</span> Natural harbour in England

Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement stretching to pre-Roman times. The harbour is extremely shallow, with one main dredged channel through the harbour, from the mouth to Holes Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth Harbour</span> Natural harbour in Hampshire, England

Portsmouth Harbour is a 1,264.2-hectare (3,124-acre)/12.6 km2 (4.9 sq mi) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealink</span> Former ferry company in the United Kingdom

Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland.

Condor Ferries Operator of ferry services for the UK and France

Condor Ferries is an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between The United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey and France.

MS <i>Barfleur</i> (1992) Ferry launched in 1991

MS Barfleur is a ferry operated by Brittany Ferries on the route between Poole on the south coast of England and Cherbourg, France. She was built at Masa Yards Turku New Shipyard in Finland for the Brittany Ferries subsidiary Truckline and entered service in 1992. In 1999 she was repainted in Brittany Ferries standard livery. Barfleur was the last ship to carry the 1983–2002 version of the Brittany Ferries logo and livery which was replaced by the post-2002 version in March 2009. She sails under the French flag and is registered in Cherbourg. Excluding the HSC Normandie Express and RoRo cargo vessels, she is the smallest passenger vessel in Brittany Ferries' fleet.

The M/V Rosa Eugenia, formerly the Coutances and Outances is a freight ferry owned by Conferry and previously operated by Brittany Ferries. It was built at Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre shipyard in France for Truckline Ferries and entered service in 1977. In 1985 Truckline was purchased by Brittany Ferries and in 1986 they sent Coutances and her sister Purbeck to be lengthened which increased their capacity by 34%. In 2004 Coutances was repainted in Brittany Ferries livery. She has sailed for most of her life between Poole and Cherbourg though was briefly replaced by the Normandie Shipper in the early nineties. In November 2007 Coutances was replaced on most Poole-Cherbourg sailings by the Cotentin, a new freight ferry constructed by Aker Finnyards. Coutances was withdrawn from service on 1 May 2008. In late July 2008 she was sold to Conferry of Venezuela owners of the former Purbeck, Coutances' sister ship.

HSC <i>Condor Voyager</i> Condor ferries

HSC Condor Voyager is a high-speed catamaran ferry, owned by Brittany Ferries and chartered to Condor Ferries. Since being built in 2000, the vessel has borne the names Incat Tasmania, The Lynx and Normandie Express. She is designed to travel at speeds of up to 46-and-a-half knots, giving a journey time between Portsmouth and the Normandy ports of three hours per crossing.

HSC <i>Champion Jet 3</i> Catamaran type fast ferry

HSC Champion Jet 3 is a fast ferry operated by Seajets. Launched in 1997, she was initially chartered out as a civilian ferry, then became the first large catamaran to enter military service when she was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Jervis Bay (AKR 45) from 1999 to 2001.

HSC <i>Champion Jet 1</i>

The HSC Champion Jet 1 is an 86m fast catamaran ferry operated by Seajets Ferries. She was until early 2015 owned by Condor Ferries and called HSC Condor Vitesse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LD Lines</span> Former French passenger and freight shipping company

LD Lines was a French shipping company, with both roro freight and passenger ferry operations. It was a subsidiary of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA), which engages in building, owning, operating, and managing vessels. LD Lines operated ferry routes on the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea.

MV <i>Reine Mathilde</i> Scrapped ferry built in 1970

Reine Mathilde was a ferry operated by Brittany Ferries. She was built as the Prince of Fundy in 1970 by Schiffbau Gesellschaft Unterweser, AG, in Bremerhaven, Germany, for the Lion Ferry service between Portland, Maine, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

HSC <i>Champion Jet 2</i>

The HSC Champion Jet 2 is an 86 m (282 ft) fast catamaran ferry owned by Greek ferry firm Seajets. Between 1997 and early 2015, she was operated by Condor Ferries and ran between the UK and the Channel Islands as Condor Express.

MV <i>Cotentin</i>

Cotentin is a ROPAX ferry owned and operated by Brittany Ferries between Poole and Cherbourg from January until March 2021 and then Portsmouth and Le Havre from March 2021 until June 2021. She previously operated for Brittany Ferries between 2007 and 2013 between Poole–Cherbourg before being chartered to Stena Line as Stena Baltica serving the route between Gdynia and Karlskrona. The vessel was constructed by Aker Finnyards in Finland and delivered to Brittany Ferries on 9 November 2007. Cotentin sails under the French flag and is registered in Morlaix. The ship's gross tonnage is 22,308.

HSC <i>Hanil Blue Narae</i>

HSC Hanil Blue Narae is a 74m fast catamaran ferry that formerly operated in England, New Zealand, Australia and South Korea.

Abels Shipbuilders Ltd was a ship and boat builder in Bristol, England. In addition to boat building, the company branched out into architectural sculptures, tidal energy and marine restoration, but closed in 2016.

MS <i>Arrow</i>

MS Arrow is a 7,606 GT Ro-Ro ferry built by Astilleros de Huelva SA, Huelva, Spain in 1998 as Varbola for the Estonian Shipping Company, Tallinn. During a charter to Dart Line she was renamed Dart 6, reverting to Varbola when the charter ended. In 2005, she was sold to Malta and renamed RR Arrow. In 2007, she was sold to Seatruck Ferries, Heysham and renamed Arrow. In September 2022, it was revealed that she had been bought by Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for an estimated €9 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittany Ferries</span> French (Breton) ferry operator

Brittany Ferries is the trading name of the French shipping company, BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A. founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec, that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between France and the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain, and between Spain and Ireland and the United Kingdom.

MV <i>Condor Islander</i>

MV Condor Islander is a roll-on/roll-off ferry owned by Condor Ferries. She previously bore the names MS Dueodde and MV Straitsman.

HSC <i>Condor Liberation</i> Fast ferry built in 2015

HSC Condor Liberation is a fast ferry that was built by Austal in Henderson, Western Australia. Previously named Austal Hull 270 and Condor 102, she entered service as HSC Condor Liberation with Channel Island ferry operator Condor Ferries on 27 March 2015.

References