P&O Ferries vessels will be blocked from sailing if they fail safety checks, the Government said. It comes amid claims Indian seafarers brought in to replace sacked crews are being paid 2.38 US dollars (£1.81) an hour.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been instructed to inspect the company’s ferries prior to them being able to re-enter service to ensure the new crews proposed for them are “safe and properly trained”. He told MPs: “If they are not these ships will not sail.”
Sacked P&O workers watched in the House of Commons public gallery as concerns were raised about the ferry operator, bought by Dubai-based logistics firm DP World in 2019, opting to replace the them with cheaper agency staff. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), which represented many of the 800 staff fired without notice last week, said their replacements are being paid well below the minimum wage in the UK.
