A passenger on board P&O's stricken Cairnryan ferry has recalled how the ship's power "just cut out" in the middle of the Irish Sea.
Jonny Wilson was travelling on board the beleaguered firm's European Causeway vessel on Tuesday afternoon when it experienced what bosses have called a "temporary mechanical issue".
Passengers and crew found themselves adrift at sea for almost two hours while engineers fixed the problem on board the 410-capacity ship, reports Belfast Live.
Jonny and his family had been en route to visit relatives in Northern Ireland from their home in Manchester when the boat ground to a halt.
He told the BBC: "We were sat in the middle of watching Peter Rabbit 2 when the lights just cut out.
"You're an hour and a bit into your journey and then you're just sat there in the middle of the Irish Sea."
The European Causeway had left Cairnryan, in Dumfries and Galloway, at around 12pm on April 26.
Jonny said the boat lost power and lighting at around 1.15pm before slowly coming to a stop.
He added: "I looked outside and the emergency lights were out...slowly we just came to a stop in the middle of the sea.
"My first thought was about the P&O and failings of the ship.
"I've been back and forth on this route all my life but I've never sat in the middle of the sea before with the lights off - a bit odd.
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"It was around an hour and a half after it happened that we were told we're not going anywhere anytime soon."
P&O later confirmed the ferry was able to continue its journey "under its own propulsion".
Tugs from Larne and Belfast were deployed to guide it back to port, while the RNLI sent three lifeboats from Larne and Red Bay to provide support.
The ship eventually reached Larne Harbour at 4pm - around two hours after its scheduled arrival time.
Tuesday's breakdown on board the European Causeway is the latest in a long line of headaches for P&O Ferries after the company callously sacked almost 800 staff by video call last month.
Parent company DP World has been criticised by trade unions and politicians for seeking to replace the staff - some of whom had decades of service - with lower paid agency staff.
Chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite told a House of Commons select committee in March that the average hourly pay of the new crew is only £5.50.
Mr Hebblethwaite, whose basic annual salary is £325,000, insisted the lower wage was permitted under international maritime rules.
The European Causeway was detained by Northern Ireland port authorities after being deemed "unfit to sail" shortly after the mass sacking.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency bosses said the ship could not sail due to "failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training".
The ferry was released from detention and cleared to sail again on April 8 - and Cairnryan to Larne services only resumed last weekend.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said at the time he will not compromise the safety of P&O vessels and insisted that the company will not be able to rush training for inexperienced people.
A spokesperson for P&O Ferries said: "Following a temporary mechanical issue, the European Causeway is now continuing on its scheduled journey to the Port of Larne under its own propulsion, with local tugs on standby, where it will discharge its passengers and cargo as planned.
"There are no reported injuries onboard and all the relevant authorities have been informed.
"Once in dock a full independent investigation will be undertaken."
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