"Loyal servant" MV Commodore Goodwill given new name and lease of life under DFDS after Portsmouth ship sold
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A passenger ferry that holds a long established career sailing from Portsmouth has been given a new lease of life.
MV Commodore Goodwill, previously operated by Condor/Brittany Ferries, was put up for sale after completing her last commercial sailing on March 27. She was tasked with transporting passengers and freight to and from Portsmouth International Port to the Channel Islands.
After completing her duties for the past 30 years, and having an uncertain future, the ship has now been acquired by DFDS - a Danish company that began conducting routes from Portsmouth earlier this year. MV Commodore Goodwill will now be known as MV Caesarea Trader, in homage to the Latin name for Jersey. She made her first sailing under new ownership last Monday (July 21).
Jersey route director Chris Parker said: “We are delighted to be able to announce the acquisition of Goodwill which will provide additional capacity and better schedules for our freight customers. We are working hard to get Goodwill ready for service and in the meantime MV Arrow and her crew will continue to provide an excellent service for the island. This acquisition does not change our plans for new vessels to serve Jersey which will include a new RoRo vessel.”
What will MV Caesarea Trader be doing?
The ship will be used to support the lifeline freight services connecting Jersey with Portsmouth and St Malo in France. It’s hoped the addition of another vessel will make the service more reliable and efficient, by increasing freight capacity. Having a cargo capacity of 1250 metres - the equivalent of 80 trailers - the ship will be continuing the role she has held since 1996.
MV Caesarea Trader will undergo a dry docking period to prepare her for being deployed later this year. She will replace MV Arrow, a leased vessel currently serving the route.
As previously reported in The News regarding the sale, a Condor/Brittany Ferries spokesman said: “It was very sad to see Commodore Goodwill sail from Portsmouth for the last time. She was a loyal servant for the Channel Islands, less high profile than other vessels perhaps, but arguably more important. Her sale is tinged with a great deal of sadness among crew, staff and all those who relied on her faithful service for so long.”
Both companies declined to comment on how much she was sold for.