Tarifa-Jet

The 'Tarifa Jet' left St. Helier on the morning of April 1under own power, assisted by a Ports of Jersey pilot and a tug, to undergo repairs in Portland, UK, where it arrived the same day, following the allision with the Elizabeth east berth. The Danish shipping company DFDS announced a series of measures to support travel arrangements over the Easter weekend. This included the deployment of theropax ferry 'Côte d’Albâtre' to operate a revised schedule between Portsmouth and Jersey. Passengers currently booked on Jersey-Portsmouth and Jersey-Poole services on April 4 and April 5 were transferred to the 'Côte d’Albâtre' on the Jersey-Portsmouth route. The vessel was scheduled to commence sailings from Portsmouth, UK, on April 3 at 1 p.m. and was to continue operating throughout the Easter weekend. Inspections by the Ports of Jersey also identified some localised damage to the east berth. The in-house engineering team was making good progress with repairs, and expected the berth to be fully operational again in time for the weekend. The west berth had remained unaffected and fully operational. Report with photos: https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/news/damaged-ferry-heads-off-for-repairs-as-dfds-announces-easter-travel-changes/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy01k58z5gko

DFDS was working on contingency arrangements to maintain services after the 'Tarifa Jet' allided with the Elizabeth east berth while arriving in St. Helier Harbour on the evening of Jan 29 and suffered damage to its stern. The incident resulted in the cancellation of subsequent sailings to and from St. Malo. On Jan 30, the operator DFDS announced that a number of changes had been made to its schedule over the coming days. The roro ferry 'Stena Vinga' was operating the St. Malo route on March 31, departing St Helier at 6.30 a.m. with a return crossing from France at midday. The night’s sailing to Portsmouth and return on the morning of March 31 were thus were both cancelled. working on contingency arrangements to maintain services, including sourcing an additional relief vessel to support operations over the Easter period. A further update on the schedule for Easter weekend was to be provided as soon as possible. Meanwhile, specialist teams, including divers, started examining the East berth linkspan and associated infrastructure. The West berth remained fully operational. Subject to weather conditions, both the 'Arrow' and the 'Stena Vinga' were expected to berth in the afternoon and evening. The investigations into the cause of the incident were ongoing. The 'Sarifa Jet' remained stationary in the port of St. Helier for the time being.

On the evening of March 29, 2026, the 'Tarifa Jet', operating between Jersey, Guernsey and St. Malo, allided with the Elizabeth east berth upon the arrival at St. Helier, resulting in some damage to the stern. Inspections were commenced with the operator and the vessel’s flag state to determine the extent of damage to both the vessel and the harbour infrastructur by the Ports of Jersey. No injuries have been reported following the incident, which resulted in the cancelling of the scheduled 6.55 p.m. sailing to St. Malo. DFDS officials were working with the port authorities and carrying out an inspection of the vessel. An update was to be provided on the morning of March 30. Reports with photos: https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/news/investigation-to-take-place-after-dfds-tarifa-jet-vessel-made-contact-with-ferry-berth/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c248qv7v0g4o

DFDS has brought in the 'Cote D'Albatre' as a replacement vessel on the Jersey-Portsmouth route, The ferry setting sail from Portsmouth on the morning of April 3 and was due to arrive in the island at 8 p.m. before making the return journey at 10 p.m. The new operator has apologised for having to cancel the night service to the UK on April 2 while it moved the contingency ships into position. The 'Stena Vinga' has been swapped on to the St Malo route while the 'Tarifa Jet' was awaitings clearance to begin sailings. It was due to make its maiden crossing to Jersey on March 28, but additional work was required following its inspection by the MCA. The fast ferry was now expected to enter service next week. DFDS took over running Jersey's sea links from Condor Ferries. The Danish firm has a 20 year contract.

As of Appril 2, the ferry company DFDS continued to address the technical issues arising from the assessment on the 'Tarifa Jet' in Portland. The ferry company was finalising preparations for the vessel to enter service, which was now scheduled for next week. All affected passengers were being informed of changes and were to be automatically moved to new departures with details of the schedules. If passengers are unable to travel due to the updated schedule, they will be able to move their bookings to alternative departures free of charge or can receive a full refund if they do not wish to proceed with their travel arrangements. For the planned Jersey-Portsmouth departures, DFDS has made arrangements to use a replacement vessel and have advised that there will be no changes to the existing schedule.

DFDS’ first sailings of the 'Tarifa Jet' between Jersey and France, which were due to take place on March 28, 2025,, have been cancelled due to technical issues. The new fast ferry has been undergoing a refit in the UK. It was estimated that around 1,000 passengers have been impacted. The passengers have been contacted by DFDS with a revised schedule running over the weekend. The ferry 'Stena Vinga' will operate the St Malo route on March 29 and March 30, while the 'Tarifa Jet' remains in refit in Portland. The change to schedules also meant that the 'Stena Vinga' arrived in Jersey later than previously expected on March 28 with an ETA as of 6 p.m.