A REPORT by Condor Ferries has cleared its crew of blame for an accident involving its new £50million ferry.
The Condor Liberation struck the side of the quay at St Peter Port, Guernsey, while attempting to dock on March 28.
Condor’s report said the ferry had landed heavily on a vertical steel piling.
It said: “The fendering on some of the berths in the Channel Islands, UK and French ports served by Condor is inappropriate for high speed craft.”
It said it would work with ports to improve the fendering.
Gusts of up to 32 knots made it difficult to berth and the report noted that all its pre-service port trials had been done in moderate conditions.
It said using manual, rather than automatic, setting might have improved the berthing. But it said the master’s use of automatic mode – and his attempt to berth – were both “reasonable.
Captain Fran Collins, executive director of operations at Condor Ferries, said the report showed the ship had been “operating within safe limits”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel