The British P&O Ferries, which sails between Rotterdam and Hull, among others, is in serious financial trouble† Last Thursday, owner DP World, a port company from Dubai, therefore made a rigorous decision: the 800 crew members were taken off board unannounced by hired security guards and replaced by cheaper, foreign temporary workers.
However, according to the British authorities, the new hires are insufficiently trained to be able to sail safely. In the port of Larne, Northern Ireland, the British Coast Guard found defects in the ship’s documentation and crew training on a ferry service vessel. That is why the coast guard seized the ship, which bears the name European Causeway, on Saturday. Until the problems are solved, the ship is not allowed to leave the port.
British Transport Minister Grant Shapps has announced that he will inspect all P&O ships in the near future to ensure the safety of the ferry service. The ferry service reported on Twitter early in the afternoon on Saturday that it has suspended all its services. Customers are advised to find an alternative travel option themselves. P&O later reported that a ferry service would resume between Liverpool and Dublin on Saturday evening.
Last Thursday’s unexpected mass layoff caused great indignation among workers and unions. In the meantime, dissatisfaction also seems to have arisen among the new crew members. The international maritime trade union Nautilus recently reported that a large part of the new workforce has already left.
Owner DP World argues that without the mass layoff, 2,200 other workers would lose their jobs. Last year P&O suffered a loss of 100 million pounds, converted about 120 million euros. After two years of travel restrictions due to corona lockdowns, the company is now struggling with significantly increased fuel prices as a result of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia.
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