P&O Ferries has suspended sailings ahead of a “major announcement”. A statement which appears to be from the ferry operator posted on Twitter by Hull Labour MP Karl Turner said it “will be making a major announcement today”.
This will “secure the long-term viability of P&O Ferries”, it explained. The statement added: “To facilitate this announcement all our vessels have been asked to discharge their passengers and cargo and standby for further instructions.
“This means we’re expecting all our ports to experience serious disruption today.” P&O Ferries wrote on Twitter: “Regretfully, P&O Ferries services are unable to run for the next few hours.
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“Our port teams will guide you and travel will be arranged via an alternative operator. We apologise for the inconvenience this will have on your journey plans.”
P&O Ferries has denied it is going into liquidation after suspending sailings. A spokesman for the firm said: “P&O Ferries is not going into liquidation.
“We have asked all ships to come alongside, in preparation for a company announcement. Until then, services from P&O will not be running and we are advising travellers of alternative arrangements.”
P&O Ferries, which transports passengers and freight, is owned by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World. It operates these four routes: Dover to Calais; Hull to Rotterdam; Liverpool to Dublin; and Cairnryan, Scotland to Larne, Northern Ireland.
Sailings between Hull and Zeebrugge, Belgium, were axed in January 2021. Following the coronavirus outbreak, P&O Ferries warned in May 2020 that around 1,100 workers could lose their jobs as part of a plan to make the business “viable and sustainable”.
The company that would become P&O was founded in 1837 after signing a government contract to transport post by boat between London and the Iberian Peninsula.
Stormont Assembly members whose constituency incorporates the port of Larne have expressed concern about the potential implications for the P&O route to Cairnryan in Scotland. East Antrim MLA John Stewart, who has relatives who work at the port, said staff were uncertain about what would be announced.
“The information is being nothing more than drip-fed to them,” the Ulster Unionist MLA told BBC Radio Ulster. He said it was a “worrying” development.
“For the staff, for Larne port itself, particularly for the local effect here, and also for businesses and passengers that regularly use that service, it’s an invaluable local service over to Cairnryan and I think this news will be deeply worrying for all of them, especially in the absence of any concrete information as to what the long-term strategy is going to be.”
Responding to reports about the future of P&O and speculation that hundreds of UK seafarers employed by the company could be replaced by foreign labour RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “We are deeply disturbed by growing speculation that the company are today planning to sack hundreds of UK seafarers and replace them with foreign labour.
"We have instructed our members to remain onboard and are demanding our members across P&O’s UK operations are protected and that the Secretary of State intervenes to save UK seafarers from the dole queue.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said his officials will be having “urgent discussions” with P&O Ferries as he expressed concern at the suspension of sailings.
Shadow transport minister Mike Kane said: “Worrying news has just broken that P&O Ferries have been called to port as DP World, their owners, seek the long-term viability of this ferry company.
“Major disruption is expected. Can the Secretary of State update the House on any discussions he’s had with DP World, P&O Ferries of any potential redundancies, and any redundancies that may happen we don’t want those crews replaced by foreign cheap labour.”
Mr Shapps replied in the Commons: “I am concerned with this news which is breaking on P&O Ferries. I understand they have temporarily paused their operations and that’s causing disruption at the short straits – Calais-Dover – as well as some other ports.
“I’m working with the Kent Resilience Forum and I’ve just instructed them to become intricately involved and other partners in this, and we’ll be taking steps later today – including ensuring that my officials will be having urgent discussions with P&O about the situation, particularly of concern for their workers.”
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he would allow an “emergency statement” from the Government on Thursday if needed.
This is a breaking story and we'll update it when more information is available.
