It concerns the Pride of Kent, a ferry that normally sails between Dover and Calais. This happened after checks to see whether the ship could sail safely with a new crew. The British coastguard could not immediately give the exact reasons why the ship is being detained.
Earlier this month, P&O laid off 800 seafarers. They were replaced by cheaper personnel from Eastern Europe and Asia. This was the reason for the British authorities to subject all P&O Ferries ships flying the English flag to a security check. At the end of last week, a ferry in Northern Ireland was also held at the quay. P&O also sails between Rotterdam and Hull.
Mass firing
The mass layoff at P&O led to a lot of resistance in British politics. P&O CEO Peter Hebblethwaite later admitted that he had violated rules during the reorganization by not informing unions about the dismissal. But talks with the unions would only have been a sham, he said, because the dismissal was the only way to avoid bankruptcy. Last year, P&O would have suffered a loss of 100 million pounds.