Ferry services between the Channel Islands (UK) and France are due to be disrupted after the company providing cargo and passenger shipping services collapsed. St Malo Manutention (SMM), the only stevedore company of Saint-Malo, has been placed into liquidation.
According to Condor Ferries, the closure was "affecting freight sailings" and could "delay or disrupt passenger services." The news comes as Jersey's borders are due to reopen on Friday, July 3.
Condor's executive director Elwyn Dop said that the situation was "frustrating and inconvenient" but they were working hard to make alternative arrangements. He added:
"There is an awful irony in that having not been able to operate any high-speed passenger services for four months due to COVID, we could conceivably see a resumption from Guernsey and Jersey this summer affected by industrial action in St Malo, causing delays and cancellations."
According to Elwyn Dop, Condor Ferries (shipping services between the UK, Channel Islands and France) was talking to the Saint-Malo Port Authority, France's Brittany region and other port users to find a solution.