Agency crew hired by P&O Ferries to replace sacked workers could do “up to 144 round trips” before having time off, a union has claimed.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) workers’ union highlighted what it alleges are “profound safety issues”with the staffing of P&O’s vessels.
P&O’s ferries between Liverpool and Dublin have restarted, although the route was unaffected.
It is believed P&O Ferries wants to resume services on its other eight vessels by the end of the week.
However, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on Tuesday confirmed its officials was on board just one of them - the Pride of Hull - and had no confirmed dates for the others.
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It came as the RMT claimed new crew - which the union says are being paid as little as £1.80-an hour - on the vessels “will be inexperienced”.
According to the union, the previous crew on P&O’s Dover to Calais route would do 18 round trips per week, working 12-hour shifts, before a week’s paid rest.
But the union claims it is “very likely” that the lower paid agency crew will do up to eight weeks at a time, and potentially longer.
In a briefing for MPs, seen by the Mirror, it said: “On the Dover-Calais route, an eight-week contract would be up to 144 round trips before they leave the ship to take a period of rest - ‘time off’."
The RMT added: “This raises profound maritime safety issues.”
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “These ships of shame must not be allowed to sail.”
Huw Merriman, Tory chair of the Commons Transport Select Committee, said: “There must be a question as to how using staff who are paid £1.80-an hour can meet our strict maritime safety requirements.”
Labour Hull MP Karl Turner said stewards on ferries “aren’t just pulling pints behind the bar.”
He added: “It requires skills and experience and safety and survival training.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the Commons: “Staff must be experienced and trained to uphold the highest possible standards.
“I have instructed the MCA to inspect the P&O Ferries prior to them being able to re-enter service, including the operational drills to ensure the new crew that they are proposing to put on them are safely and properly trained.
“If they are not , these ships will not sail.”
A spokesman for P&O, quoted by the BBC, insisted that safety was the utmost priority and the new crewing management model was used by many competitors.
He added: “They have recruited high-quality experienced seafarers, who will now familiarise themselves with the ships, going through all mandatory training requirements set out by our regulators.”
In a statement, the MCA said: “A team of surveyors is currently on board the P&O Ferries Pride of Hull carrying out an inspection.
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“The other seven will also be inspected before they go out but P&O hasn’t confirmed those dates with us for those inspections.
“This is to make sure they comply with international regulations on manning and safe operation, in particular, emergency procedures such as firefighting and evacuating the ship.
The inspection will focus on operational drills (i.e. the ability of the crews to fight fire, muster passengers in the case of an emergency and evacuate a ship) and ensuring that personnel have received appropriate training and familiarisation in the tasks for which they have responsibility.”
It comes amid fury over the way P&O Ferries axed 800 crew without notice last week, and replaced them with agency workers allegedly on much lower pay.
Business Secretary Kwarsi Kwarteng gave bosses at the firm until 5pm on Tuesday to answer 10 key questions.
He said the information provided by P&O would “inform next steps”, but could lead to a “formal complaint to the relevant prosecuting authority”.
P&O said it had offered axed crew what it believed was “the largest compensation package in the British marine sector”, worth a total of £36.5million.
A spokesperson said: “This has been an incredibly tough decision for the business: to make this choice or face taking the company into administration.
“This would have meant the loss of 3,000 jobs and the end of P&O Ferries.”
Meanwhile, the Commons Transport and Business Committees last night announced plans to quiz bosses of P&O Ferries and Dubai owner DP World in a session tomorrow (Thursday).
