Hopes of reviving a Channel Islands ferry service out of Weymouth have been dealt a blow after local council bosses rejected the scheme due to the numerous issues to be overcome.
Condor Ferries ran their last ferry from the Dorset port during March 2015 when all high-speed services moved along the coast to Poole, the main reason given being that their soon-to-be-introduced Austal 102m Condor Liberation (2010/6,307gt) was too big for the port, where ferries need to go astern from the linkspan before turning beyond the pierhead.
Since June 2021 Weymouth Town Council has been planning a resumption of services and held discussions with Condor’s CEO John Napton during December.
Further talks with the States of Guernsey and a major ferry operator proposed a trial service beginning in the autumn of 2022, using an unnamed vessel rumoured to be Incat 98m Condor Voyager (2000/6,581gt), providing a weekly service for 30 weeks of the year. Report and photo by Kevin Mitchell
Photo: Condor Express alongside at Weymouth in 2015.
