P&O ferry left adrift for two hours after power loss

P&O Ferries seafarers are reportedly refusing to work on a ship that was left adrift in the Irish Sea for two hours following a power loss yesterday afternoon.

The European Causeway, which can carry up to 410 passengers and 53 crew, suffered a complete power failure at 12:25pm on Tuesday, around five miles off the coast of Larne, County Antrim.

One tugboat and three RNLI lifeboats were scrambled to the vessel, as well as a helicopter from Prestwick. MarineTraffic data indicates that power returned to engines at 2:14pm, and the ferry was escorted to Larne Harbour. Good conditions in the Irish Sea helped avert a ‘serious incident’, according to a report in the Times.

The ferry had left Cairnryan at midday and was due to dock at around 2pm, but did not arrive in port until after 4pm.

A number of the ship’s new crew members have now reportedly approached maritime unions for advice about terminating their contracts.

A P&O Ferries spokesperson told the Guardian that the ship had experienced a “temporary mechanical issue” before continuing on its “scheduled journey to the port of Larne under its own propulsion”.

The company said there were no reported injuries onboard the ferry, and that all relevant authorities had been informed. A “full independent investigation” would be undertaken in port, the spokesperson added.

In the video below, passenger Mark Hillis describes how the lights and engines cut out around one hour into the sailing, and “the ship just started drifting.”

Following P&O’s decision to sack 800 members of staff in a bid to save money by replacing them with cheaper agency workers, a number of the operator’s ships were detained for inspection.

The European Causeway was pulled from service in March, after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) found a record 31 separate problems onboard the vessel, according to the Independent, including fire safety and lifeboat drill issues.

New non-UK crew hired to replace fired staff were also not familiar enough with radio equipment, according to the MCA report, which detailed “failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training”. In total, more failures were found on the European Causeway than in 46,000 Port State Control inspections of ships in the last three years.

The European Causeway was later reinspected and cleared to sail on 8 April.

The ferry, which P&O says was specifically designed to serve the Cairnryan-Larne route, originally entered service in 2000.

Mike Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union (RMT) said it found reports that the European Causeway was adrift off Larne “deeply concerning, not least for the agency crew and passengers onboard”.

“The list of offences is now as long as your arm and the government has to step in and protect ferry safety and jobs,” Lynch said, calling on ministers to strip P&O Ferries of its licence to operate its vessels.

The news comes after P&O was embroiled in a fresh row over wages. On Monday, MIN reported that P&O Ferries has been accused of trying to cut the wages of its already low-paid workforce.

The Mirror claims chefs currently paid £2,336 a month on temporary contracts were asked to sign new deals cutting their income by £195. Other crew members earn £748 a month for a 40-hour week – just £4.30 an hour.