P&O Ferries is restarting Dover-Calais passenger crossings for the first time since it controversially sacked hundreds of employees with no notice. The ferry operator says it is operating a reduced timetable on Tuesday, with a normal timetable resuming on Wednesday. The Spirit of Britain is the only ferry in service on the route so tickets are limited. It comes after P&O sacked almost 800 seafarers in March to replace them with cheaper agency workers. Tuesday marks the first time that drive-on passengers and tourists will have been able to use the service in almost six weeks. The Spirit of Britain will leave Dover for Calais at 16:05.
It has been crossing the English channel for just under a week, carrying freight-only traffic. It is the only ship the company can currently use for its cross-Channel operations and was cleared to sail on 22 April after being detained 11 days earlier, when 23 failures were found by Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) inspectors.
After reinspection, the MCA said not all of the previously identified issues around safety and crew documentation had been put right, so it will remain under detention. It will reinspect the vessel when next requested to do so by P&O Ferries. The company used to have four ferries in operation on this route, so it is still below its normal operating capacity. The other two ferries, the Pride of Canterbury and the Spirit of France, are still out of action.
P&O Ferries was widely condemned by politicians, trade unions and the public after replacing nearly 800 crew members with cheaper agency staff on 17 March. It suspended most of its operations following the decision, with delays and increased traffic seen around the Port of Dover as a result around the Easter holidays. When P&O Ferries sacked its staff, the company said the move was to ensure the future of the business.
Passenger services have already resumed on its three other UK routes, which are between Liverpool and Dublin, Ireland; between Cairnryan, Scotland and Larne, Northern Ireland; and between Hull and Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Last week, another P&O Ferries ship spent hours adrift without power in the Irish Sea. P&O said the incident was caused by a “temporary mechanical issue” that had been resolved. The European Causeway ferry was ordered to remain at Larne Port until it passes another inspection.
