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Louise Thomas

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Passengers on a ferry service from Jersey were left stranded overnight after the vessel hit a wall while entering St Helier harbour.

According to Ports of Jersey, Condor Islander scraped the Elizabeth East Berth wall with its starboard side while stopping at the largest Channel Island.

Condor Ferries confirmed that the Guernsey-bound service from Portsmouth made “light contact” with the berth during strong winds on Wednesday (3 July).

Damage to the ship was assessed by engineers overnight before the Condor Islander continued to Guernsey and returned to Portsmouth the next morning.

Ports of Jersey said: “The Condor Islander made contact with Elizabeth East Berth while docking yesterday evening. This resulted in damage to the East Berth, the extent of which is being assessed by Ports of Jersey.”

Over 100 passengers due to depart for Guernsey were provided with hotel rooms by the operator, and freight shipments were redistributed onto other vessels in the fleet.

Marcus Calvani, head of the Jersey Hospitality Association, told the BBC that passengers including 53 school children and their six teachers were accommodated in hotel rooms within “about 20 minutes” on Wednesday evening.

One frustrated passenger said that there was a “lack of communication” from the ferry service and a “rush to arrange accommodation”, according to ITV News.

Condor Ferries said it “regrets the inconvenience caused” to passengers.

In March, two roadshows discussed the proposal of undersea tunnels linking France to the Channel Islands.

The multi-billion-pound tunnel between Guernsey and France via Jersey could take 10 years to build at an estimated cost of £25m per kilometre and an additional £100m for each of the three underground stations.

Proposed shuttle trains from stations located in St Peter Port, Jersey Airport and Saint Helier could be as quick as 15 minutes for commuters travelling between Jersey and Guernsey.

For more travel news and advice listen to Simon Calder’s podcast.

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