P&O restarts Channel sailings as calls for boss resignation pile up April 27, 2022 P&O restarted today its Channel routes amid safety concerns and government calls for boss Peter Hebblethwaite to resign. The Spirit of Britain vessel departed late last night carrying freight customers, as passenger services are expected to resume early next week. Initially detained by the coastguard on 13 April, the Spirit of Britain was cleared for [...]
P&O launches investigation after vessel loses power at sea April 26, 2022 Disgraced ferry operator P&O has launched an investigation after a recently cleared vessel lost power off the coast of Northern Ireland. The European Causeway vessel was unable to manoeuvre as required and was “unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.” “Following a temporary mechanical issue, the European Causeway is now continuing on [...]
P&O to restart Dover-Calais services amid accusations of planning cuts to agency workers’ salaries April 25, 2022 Troubled ferry operator P&O announced today it will restart its Dover to Calais services this week amid accusations it was planning to further cut the salaries of agency workers. P&O is selling tickets for Channel crossing after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) cleared its vessel, the Spirit of Britain, on Saturday. Freight services will [...]
Coastguard clears first P&O Dover to Calais service April 23, 2022 The Maritime and Coastguard agency has cleared the first P&O ferry to sail from Dover to Calais. The Spirit of Britain, detained as part of the government’s crackdown on the ferry operator’s safety and employment tactics, has been conducting trails between Dove and New Romney. MCA agents said the vessel “has been released from detention [...]
Coastguard inspects another two P&O ships as company hopes to set sail soon April 21, 2022 The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today it was inspecting another two of P&O’s ships as the company hopes to resume normal operations soon. MCA agents said they were inspecting the European Highlander, which operates on Northern Ireland to Scotland routes, and the Norbay, which serves Liverpool to Dublin. “Our surveyors are carrying out [...]
P&O fires seven agency workers for drinking on the job April 20, 2022 Disgraced ferry operator P&O said t has fired seven agency workers for drinking while on duty. The employees, P&O said, were dismissed “with immediate effect” after breaching “our strict guidelines on alcohol consumption.” “The safety of our passengers and crew is our foremost priority and we continue to operate a zero tolerance policy towards drinking [...]
P&O could face bankruptcy following insurance increase, analysts warn April 19, 2022 P&O could face bankruptcy, analysts told City A.M. as they warned a drop in the ferry operator’s safety rating is set to see its insurance bills soar. The company faces a “sky-high insurance bill” after its safety ratings sank to the “riskiest bracket,” in the face of mounting scrutiny from the UK government over its [...]
Coastguard raises concerns over survival craft on P&O vessel April 19, 2022 The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) revealed today that an inability to deploy lifeboats and rafts was one of the 31 failures discovered aboard of P&O’s vessel European Causeway. Agents said that the “launching arrangement for survival craft” on the vessels were “not as required” while inflatable evacuation slides were not properly maintained. Other failures [...]
P&O to face soaring insurance bill after sinking to riskiest safety rating April 18, 2022 P&O is to face soaring insurance bills after it sank to the riskiest safety rating, with its performance deemed “very low.” According to an analysis of an international database of inspections, P&O was previously awarded a “medium rating,” but after it sacked 800 seafarers and replaced them with agency workers the rating sank. “It’s very [...]
Coastguard reinspects P&O vessel but detains another April 13, 2022 P&O’s vessel the Pride of Kent was reinspected today at the company’s request, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. “All inspections have to satisfy the Maritime and Coastguard Agency that the ferries fulfil the requirement of the Port State Control regime and are safe to put to sea,” a MCA spokesperson said. “There are [...]