Possible BF Branding For Condor And Islander Problems

[SimonP]

Bring back the BCIF brand! 😁

[nickgsy]

Bring back the BCIF brand! 😁

NickGsy says.....something went wrong with fornatting as of below

I sometimes wonder how BCIF would have evolved if Condor hadn't introduced Condor 10 - the first fast car carrying ferry. BCIF soon went out of business as they couldn't compete with Condor's quicker journey times. I guess the brand and logo would have been updated now...perhaps name changed back to just Channel Island Ferries. More punchy and greater recall for people as a brand. As for investment in brand new ro paxs like Commodore Clipper, would they have ever done that? They never seemed to accumulate enough capital to spend on a newbuild. In their annual reports they also highlighted the elephant in the room - shortage of suitable ships for CI on second hand market.

Of course Brittany Ferries also had a minority shareholding in BCIF just like they do now with Condor. In fact BF helped set up CIF and provided their first ship MV Corbiere.

[Shipping-Forecast]

Also see Brittany Ferries To Be ‘more involved’ In Channel Islands

[kittifer]

BF must have been spooked by the presence of a DFDS vessel. Good for the Channel Islands 👍 Who says competition isn't a healthy thing!

[nickgsy]

BF must have been spooked by the presence of a DFDS vessel. Good for the Channel Islands 👍 Who says competition isn't a healthy thing!

I do worry about DFDS and what they will bring to the table for the Channel Islands. They are not a social model company like BF are and can be very strict on routes performance. Anything slightly underperforming or needing development seems to gets canned. Think DFDS North Sea passenger services, Portsmouth to Le Harve etc

And I also worry DFDS may not have sufficient access to suitable conventional passenger vessels. They may, I am thinking, decide to just run 2 freight only ro ros and 2 brand new incats. I'm also not sure whether they'd have use of Condor Islander or not. I presume they would but I don't know for sure.

Meanwhile today BF ferries suggests electric for CI..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe ... y-68714646

[northsaul]

BF must have been spooked by the presence of a DFDS vessel. Good for the Channel Islands 👍 Who says competition isn't a healthy thing!

I do worry about DFDS and what they will bring to the table for the Channel Islands. They are not a social model company like BF are and can be very strict on routes performance. Anything slightly underperforming or needing development seems to gets canned. Think DFDS North Sea passenger services, Portsmouth to Le Harve etc

And I also worry DFDS may not have sufficient access to suitable conventional passenger vessels. They may, I am thinking, decide to just run 2 freight only ro ros and 2 brand new incats. I'm also not sure whether they'd have use of Condor Islander or not. I presume they would but I don't know for sure.

Meanwhile today BF ferries suggests electric for CI..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe ... y-68714646

Nick

I am not sure you are being fair there.  DFDS operate their North Sea and Baltic services in a very similar way to Brittany not sure  your reference to Portsmouth Le Harve as they have never operated there.  They have three distinct styles, Cruise Ferry, Short sea (Dover/Dunkerque/Straits of Gibraltar) and others such as Rosslare to Dunkerque.

Unlike Brittany they are willing to take on new routes and except for the Cote D'Opal continue to develop and build their own fleet.  Whilst time will tell if and when they will submit a bid, I very much doubt that they will not have their fleet for the Channel Islands already planned and believe me that will include more than the Islander.
 

[nickgsy]

BF must have been spooked by the presence of a DFDS vessel. Good for the Channel Islands 👍 Who says competition isn't a 

Nick

I am not sure you are being fair there.  DFDS operate their North Sea and Baltic services in a very similar way to Brittany not sure  your reference to Portsmouth Le Harve as they have never operated there.  

DFDS did operate Portsmouth to Le Harve for a few months, after they took full control of LD Lines France services. DFDS also dropped Liverpool to Belfast when they took over Norfolk Line and sold line onto Stena Line who transformed it.

Plus DFDS ownership structure is nothing like BF. BF is ownded by Breton farmers and local authorities. Also BF persevere with more challenging routes.
 

[Danim]

 

Nick

I am not sure you are being fair there.  DFDS operate their North Sea and Baltic services in a very similar way to Brittany not sure  your reference to Portsmouth Le Harve as they have never operated there.  

DFDS did operate Portsmouth to Le Harve for a few months, after they took full control of LD Lines France services. DFDS also dropped Liverpool to Belfast when they took over Norfolk Line and sold line onto Stena Line who transformed it.

Plus DFDS ownership structure is nothing like BF. BF is ownded by Breton farmers and local authorities. Also BF persevere with more challenging routes.

I'm sure if DFDS were subsidised like BF they wouldn't have dropped those routes. Look at Newhaven! 

[nickgsy]

 

I'm sure if DFDS were subsidised like BF they wouldn't have dropped those routes. Look at Newhaven! 

That's the whole point. BF is more like a cooperative than DFDS so they can take a longer term view.  Plus as far as I know no subsidies are planned in CI. It is not a Transmanche type situation here.
 

[munstertillburgundy]

 

 

... BF is more like a cooperative than DFDS so they can take a longer term view.  ...

would you share my expectation, that the CMA-CGM stake in Brittany Ferries may be a blessing for them to be able to plan ahead but probably not for seafaring romance?
 

[nickgsy]

 

 

... BF is more like a cooperative than DFDS so they can take a longer term view.  ...

would you share my expectation, that the CMA-CGM stake in Brittany Ferries may be a blessing for them to be able to plan ahead but probably not for seafaring romance?

Yes possibly. I guess we'll have to wait and see.🙂

[Viadi]

CMA CGM are not “angel”
The CEO, Saade (Rodolphe, son of the founder) has a big empire.
They also take a part of La Meridionale, a french ferry company how operate manly to Corsica.
Out of topic, they recently have a big media sector, recently they bought one of the biggest news channel BFM TV.
It’s also a reason why Brittany Ferries looks for new markets and has money for that.

About the Jersey / Guernesey network :
- all the line have subsidies, from Poole / Portsmouth/ St Malo ?
- or some are only commercial without subidies, perhaps St Malo ?
- is it one contract only, or Jersey / Guernesey have two separate contracts and / or Poole / Portsmouth ?
- how own the ferry ? Condor or public authorities?
- i mean if DFDS, or an other than Condor, win the contract, they would operate the vessel or they have to have their own ?
- the 5 vessels are registered in Bahamas, Nassau. Did they have non local contract crew as P&O / Irish Ferries on the Channel ?

[nickgsy]

Out of topic, they recently have a big 
About the Jersey / Guernesey network :
- all the line have subsidies, from Poole / Portsmouth/ St Malo ?
- or some are only commercial without subidies, perhaps St Malo ?
- is it one contract only, or Jersey / Guernesey have two separate contracts and / or Poole / Portsmouth ?
- how own the ferry ? Condor or public authorities?
- i mean if DFDS, or an other than Condor, win the contract, they would operate the vessel or they have to have their own ?
-

There are no subsidies on any of the Channel Islands routes and I believe that is not changing. The ferry tender is also for all car ferry and freight routes from UK and France to Channel Islands. Also I presume any future ferry operator would have to supply their own vessels. Although we also have Condor Islander which may go to any new operator. But not totally sure on complete ownership status of this vessel. 
 

[twbc99]

Possible BF branding for Condor and Condor Islander blamed for recent financial problems.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe ... y-68680622

Seems that the schedule changes are coming through. My booking in July has changed today with the following:
Afternoon Poole - Jersey moved to the morning. Specifically booked due to it being an afternoon crossing, busy the previous day and would be traveling south in the morning.
Return to Portsmouth moved by an hour and now run by the Clipper