Condor Ferries Rapide to start service in May
Condor Ferries’ new ship Condor Rapide will enter service on the Channel Islands routes in the middle of May just a few weeks after she was purchased by the company.
Condor Rapide has been alongside in Weymouth where a complex programme of work to upgrade the ship is nearing completion on schedule. On top of the multi-million pound purchase price, Condor Ferries is investing significant sums to upgrade the ship inside and out before taking passengers on board. At the start of May, the new ferry will be undergoing sea trials along the south coast of the UK.
On Thursday 13 May, Condor Rapide will take her first passengers from Weymouth to Guernsey and then onward to Jersey as she will be operating from Weymouth to the Islands for a short period while work to replace the engine casing on Condor Express is finalised.
Condor Rapide will then transfer on Thursday 3 June to her ‘home route’, operating between the Channel Islands and St Malo, and Condor 10 will be withdrawn from service. There will be some changes introduced to the schedule on this route to adapt it for the three 86m high speed ferries – Condor Express, Condor Vitesse and Condor Rapide.
Simon Edsall, Managing Director, Condor Ferries, said:
‘Condor Rapide will allow more people to travel on the most popular sailings between the Islands and St Malo as well as offering a better onboard environment and larger duty free shop.
‘The introduction of Condor Rapide as a sister ship to Condor Express and Condor Vitesse also strengthens the resilience of our life-line service, as shown by its introduction on the Weymouth route. Many travellers re-discovered the benefits of ferry travel during the recent flight disruption as our ferries helped them reach their destination as planned.
‘With the capacity to take almost three times the number of cars compared with Condor10 and more space for passengers, there will be more day trip and short break fares (like the popular Supersaver) available on the route, giving more people the chance to travel to France more often.
‘While our ultimate aim is to introduce the new ship with the minimum disruption to our customers’ travel plans, there are unfortunately some dates where it has been necessary to make changes to our service times. All affected bookings are being automatically transferred to a sailing on the revised schedule. We have begun contacting customers whose existing booking is affected by this change to make sure that the alternative sailing they are offered is most suitable for them.’
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