is a French news platform that aggregates and publishes local and national news from across France. It’s part of a large network of over 100 regional media outlets, offering real-time updates on everything from politics and society to sports, culture, and quirky stories.

Recently they published a piece on DFDS and the recent troubles with St Malo sailings. The original is at the website below, and the translation is on this blog.

Key points made:

• DFDS’s ferry service between Saint-Malo and Jersey was disrupted on 31 August due to strong winds, leaving passengers stranded.
• Communication and compensation were poor, frustrating travelers and raising questions about DFDS’s reliability.
• DFDS replaced Condor Ferries in December 2024, but its service has been slower and less dependable.
• Political and contractual concerns are mounting: the 15-year contract was extended to 20 without full review, and Jersey’s Comptroller General has flagged procedural irregularities.
• Minister Kirsten Morel, who championed the DFDS deal, is facing criticism ahead of upcoming elections.
• Editorial voices warn that Jersey’s tourism and governance credibility are at stake.

https://actu.fr/bretagne/saint-malo_35288/avis-de-tempetes-sur-la-liaison-saint-malo-jersey_63105812.html

Storm Warnings for DFDS on the Saint-Malo–Jersey Route

Translated by Robin Bland

B’PLAST SAINT MALO – ZI SUD - 7 Rue du Grand Jardin

The storm and strong winds deprived Jersey of ferries from Saint-Malo on the last Saturday of August. But these are not the worst challenges DFDS will face. The Danish carrier, which succeeded Condor on the route, is also under fire from the Jersey government and local business circles.

Controversy and Setbacks

However, the weekend incidents are just another episode in a series of storms and setbacks that DFDS is currently facing.

In December 2024, controversy surrounded the awarding of the Jersey–Saint-Malo route to the Danish carrier DFDS, supported by Kirsten Morel, Jersey’s Minister for Sustainable Economic Development.

“With DFDS, the total investment in new ships was higher, the commercial and financial projections were stronger. DFDS therefore had the best bid,” he told Ouest-France (17 January 2025). “We want a sustainable and robust service.”

Eight months later, it is clear that DFDS is offering a less reliable service, and one that is slower (2 hours instead of 1h20) compared to Condor-Brittany Ferries, which Guernsey had chosen as early as November 2024.

74% More French Visitors to Guernsey

Since then, Condor’s direct crossings to Guernsey have been successful. They also take 2 hours! On August 12, the island’s government announced that in the second quarter, Saint Peter Port received 74% more French visitors than the previous year.

This has angered Jersey and delighted Condor, which is enjoying a better season than expected.

“The DFDS service is not up to what was promised,” thundered Jersey’s Prime Minister Lyndon Farnham in a statement to Bailiwick Express (20 August).

“We fully recognize the concerns raised by the hospitality industry and the public regarding DFDS’s performance as the island’s ferry operator. The level of service provided so far, particularly the decision to withdraw the British fast ferry during the winter, falls short of what was promised and of what islanders and visitors expect.”

Irregularities in the DFDS/Jersey Contract

As if this reprimand weren’t enough, the Jersey Evening Post (29 August) revealed the recent report by Jersey’s Comptroller General, Lynn Pamment, who pointed out irregularities in the contract between the island and DFDS.

The contract, initially planned for 15 years, had been extended to 20 years—outside the initial process! According to Ms. Pamment, “no formal evaluation of impact, benefits, and risks was documented” despite the contract being “a third longer than originally planned.”

Could Condor-Brittany Ferries exploit this legal flaw to recover the route it lost? Some Jersey and Saint-Malo residents openly express that wish on social media.

A Controversy at the Worst Time

As James Filleul, editorialist at the Jersey Evening Post (29 August 2025), wrote: “If you thought the controversy over the tender process—which began as a joint process with Guernsey—was over, it’s time to think again.”

His editorial predicted another storm, this time for Minister Morel:

“The way he manages the inevitable questions about the ferry tender is likely to define the next step in his political career […] And this controversy could not have come at a worse time for the current government, which has less than a year before the next elections.”

Social Unrest Brewing in Saint-Malo?

Is that all? Absolutely not. Rumors circulate on the docks of Saint-Malo that port staff could help DFDS crew members obtain better social protection by gaining access to ENIM (the French seafarers’ social security system). How? By taking action similar to the one that allowed Condor employees to obtain it in 2017 (Le Marin, 16 March 2017).

In short, in Saint-Malo, the prospect of stormy “social weather” cannot be ruled out!

— Jean-Yves RUAUX

The Jersey press headlines DFDS and Minister Morel.