P&O Ferries ship detained over crew training concerns

A P&O Ferries ship is being held in Northern Ireland because it is "unfit to sail", nine days after the company sacked 800 workers without notice.

The European Causeway had been held in Larne over "failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training", the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said.

P&O Ferries said it would make changes to return the ship to service.

Protests at UK ports are calling on customers to boycott the company.

They gathered in Dover, Hull and Liverpool, chanting slogans such as "don't go P&O" and "seize the ship".

Protestors from the RMT Union are attempting to block access to the Pride of Rotterdam in Hull docks.

Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress tweeted a video it said showed P&O dockers in Rotterdam refusing to load freight onto a ferry set for Hull in solidarity with sacked workers.

Unions have raised fears over a lack of training of new crew, after the firm replaced their members with workers whose average hourly rate of pay would be £5.50, less than the UK minimum wage.

As the company's ships operate internationally and are registered overseas, the UK minimum hourly rate of £8.91 does not apply.

At the Dover protest, RMT union national secretary Darren Procter said: "Bringing a crew on board a vessel they're not familiar with to sail across the busiest shipping lane in the world, carrying passengers, is going to be a dangerous act."

He said the MCA should detain every other P&O Ferries vessel around the UK on the basis they are not fit to sail.

The European Causeway sails between Larne and Cairnryan in Scotland. P&O Ferries told customers on Twitter that its services on this route were suspended, adding: "It is no longer possible for us to arrange travel via an alternative operator on this route.

"For essential travel, customers are advised to seek alternatives themselves."

There were no passengers or freight aboard the European Causeway when it was impounded in Larne, the MCA confirmed.

It said the vessel would remain under detention until all issues were resolved by P&O Ferries.

Seamus Leheny, of freight industry body Logistics UK, said rival ferry operator Stena had increased capacity through Belfast by 50% but the situation was still causing difficulties for businesses.

"It's not sustainable to have so much freight coming through Belfast... we want that Larne service back up and running as soon as possible," he added.

On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed Transport Secretary Grant Shapps's calls for the boss of P&O Ferries to resign.

Peter Hebblethwaite admitted to MPs that he broke the law by not consulting workers ahead of the job cuts - but said he would do the same again if he had to.

Mr Shapps wrote on social media that the European Causeway's detention followed an instruction from him to the MCA to inspect "all P&O vessels" before they entered back into service.

"I will not compromise the safety of these vessels, and P&O will not be able to rush inexperienced crew through training," he added.

Labour's Louise Haigh called for the sacked workers to be reinstated and for Mr Hebblethwaite to be "barred" as a director.

"The shameful misconduct of P&O Ferries has ruined livelihoods, and is harming the UK's key shipping routes," the shadow transport secretary wrote on Twitter.

P&O Ferries said in a statement that an MCA inspection had deemed the European Causeway "not sufficiently ready for entry into operation".

"We shall review the findings, make any changes required and continue to work closely with the MCA to return the ship to service."

Meanwhile P&O Ferries services between Dover and Calais remain cancelled. The firm said it would organise an alternative carrier for passengers.

Saturday evening's service from Rotterdam to Hull is also suspended, the firm said - but the evening service from Hull to Rotterdam is expected to sail on time.