P&O FERRIES

EUROPEAN CAUSEWAY & EUROPEAN HIGHLANDER

LAID UP AT LARNE 

29 - 03 - 22

 

Early morning 17th March 2022 P&O Ferries Management send an order to all vessels to tie up in port, discharge any cargo and passengers and await a company announcement. In the meantime P&O advised customers that they would be unable to operate any sailings for some hours. 

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As the morning progressed it was clear that P&O Ferries had initiated the mass sacking of 800 of its seafaring workforce primarily employed on channel islands contracts onboard its Cyprus, Bahamas and Bermuda flagged vessels. Seafarers were advised of the immediate termination of their employment without notice and ordered to leave their vessels and take their personal belongings with them. Private security staff were deployed by P&O to manage the situation onboard. 

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P&O had in many instances new agency seafarers waiting to board to takeover the running of the vessels and the plan was to restart operations as soon as possible. P&O Management stated the steps taken were to secure the future of the business and without such intervention P&O Ferries had no future.

 

Following UK Government intervention all vessels were ordered to undergo a Port State Control Inspection in UK Ports by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. European Causeway failed her initial inspection and was detained at Larne, Pride of Kent also detained at Dover.

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European Highlander was cleared to reposition to Larne and Pride of Hull cleared to reposition to Rotterdam.

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The following photos were captured on 29th March 2022 and show not only both European Causeway & European Highlander laid up in Larne but also an almost empty Larne quayside. 

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At the time of writing European Causeway was reinspected by the MCA on 8th April and sailed on 9th April at 1000 from Larne to Cairnryan on her first commercial sailing post these events.