No fast ferries between the Channel Islands and UK this winter

A condor ferry leaving port
Annual maintenance will take the Liberation and Voyager vessels out of service through Winter. Credit: ITV Channel

High speed ferries to and from the UK will be out of service between November 2023 to mid-February 2024.

Condor Ferries' Liberation and Voyager vessels will be undergoing annual maintenance.

Slower ships will predominantly be used over the period.

As means of replacement, the ferry company will begin an overnight service to and from Portsmouth beginning on the 1 November.

Islander - the new ferry yet to begin its service - will undertake these additional responsibilities.

The States of Guernsey loaned Condor £26 million pounds to buy the 125-metre-long vessel earlier this year.

A Condor Ferries spokesperson said: "The introduction of Islander is a welcome addition and something we had been planning for years had Covid not intervened.

"(It) creates an overall more weather resilient passenger and freight service, especially during Winter."

Condor Ferries also said that St Malo harbour will by "closed by the French authorities from January through to mid-February for maintenance at the port".

They will therefore "switch our Winter schedules to Cherbourg over the period".

Want to find out more about the stories making the headlines? Don't miss Channelcast - the Channel Islands current affairs podcast brought to you by ITV News: