Questions over an incident in which a wheelchair user was unable to access a lift onboard a DFDS vessel – and subsequently had to stay on the car deck in his van for the entirely of the crossing to the UK – were raised in the States Assembly this morning.
The matter was highlighted by Express‘s sister publication, the Jersey Evening Post, after James Thompson – a member of equality and diversity charity Liberate’s governing board – raised concerns following his recent journey from Jersey to Poole.
Mr Thompson, who is paralysed from the shoulders down, said he had notified DFDS in advance of his sailing regarding his need to use the lift from the car deck to the passenger deck.
Pictured: Mr Thompson was given an orange sticker indicating his need to use the lift. (James Thompson)
He also noted that, when checking in, he was given an orange sticker marked ”lift’ to hang in his van.
But Mr Thompson said he was informed while boarding that the lift was already “closed up and blocked off” and that he “should have been in a different loading area to get on earlier”.
At the start of today’s States sitting, Deputy Montfort Tadier asked Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel if he had been made aware of the “harrowing case” and whether he would conduct an investigation to understand what took place and “make sure it does not reoccur”.
Deputy Morel responded: “I’m grateful to the Deputy for raising this important issue. This incident was clearly unacceptable and my officers raised it directly with DFDS as a matter of urgency on Monday 8 September.
“By their express admission, this incident falls a long way short of DFDS’s own standards and those expected of them by the vessel flag state.
“DFDS has reached out to the passenger concerned and is reviewing the incident to find out why its usual procedures were not followed in this case.”
Deputy Morel continued: “Furthermore, they have proactively reported this matter to the vessel flag state, given the deeply unsatisfactory passenger experience and unorthodox crossing.
“They are also shortly meeting with the government’s disability and inclusion team to ensure that all passengers have access to the reliable and dignified experience that they rightly expect.”
Pictured: Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel addressed questions about the incident.
The Minister also read a message from DFDS that described the incident as a “bad mistake”.
The Danish ferry operator said: “We are changing our processes to prevent this happening again. The customer was correctly identified as needing assistance at checking in, but was put in the wrong lane and was missed when we loaded vehicles which needed lift access.
“The lift was working. It was a failure of process to get the passenger close to it so they could easily get to the passenger decks.”
Previous issues with lift access on the Levante Jet vessel were highlighted by Deputy Karen Wilson.
Deputy Morel noted that the previous concerns had involved the lift being out of service, highlighting that “the reasons for this incident appear to be very different”.
“It is because of the difference in circumstances that I am saying that it does not appear to be systemic,” he added.
The Minister also said he was “pleased to see that DFDS have not hidden from this”, pointing to operator’s report to the vessel flag state and contact with the government’s disability and inclusion unit.
“That suggests to me strongly that they wish to learn from this and that is the appropriate attitude,” he added.
“It does not excuse the mistakes that led to these incidents, but it absolutely does suggest they have the right attitude.”
In a statement following the States sitting, DFDS said it wished to “clarify the circumstances” of the incident.
“The passenger – who had correctly notified DFDS of his accessibility needs in advance – was mistakenly left waiting on the quay while other vehicles began boarding,” the statement continued.
“By the time the disabled passenger’s vehicle was directed on board, the loading pattern meant the passenger could not safely reach the lift in his wheelchair.
“The passenger was informed of the situation before boarding and offered the option of transferring to a later sailing on another vessel.
“However, as the passenger needed to be in the UK that evening to connect with another journey, he chose to continue the scheduled departure, fully aware that he would need to remain on the car deck for the crossing.”
It added that a member of DFDS staff stayed with Mr Thompson throughout the journey “to provide support”.
“The lift on board was fully operational, the failure lay entirely in our boarding process.
“This was a serious mistake on our part, and we are deeply sorry to the passenger for the distress and inconvenience caused. We accept we did not meet the standard of care that we set ourselves.
“Deputy Montfort Tadier has described the incident as ‘inhumane and degrading’. While we do not believe this fairly reflects the intentions or conduct of our staff, we fully recognise that the passenger’s experience was unacceptable and regret profoundly that it occurred.
“DFDS has already reviewed and strengthened its procedures to ensure that any disabled passengers are always prioritised correctly during boarding, and we will be meeting with Jersey Government’s disability and inclusion team to review further improvements.”
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