Coastguard raises concerns over survival craft on P&O vessel
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) revealed today that an inability to deploy lifeboats and rafts was one of the 31 failures discovered aboard of P&O’s vessel European Causeway.
Agents said that the “launching arrangement for survival craft” on the vessels were “not as required” while inflatable evacuation slides were not properly maintained.
Other failures – reported by international database of inspection the Paris Memorandum of Understanding – included inadequate fire prevention systems and a crew lacking familiarity with radio equipment.
The boat was cleared to sail after it was initially detained as part of the government crackdown on the ferry operator, who sparked outrage last month when it sacked 800 seafarers and replaced them with cheaper labour.
The firm, who still has some vessels under ‘port arrest’, could see its insurance bills soar after it sank to the riskiest safety rating, City PM reported.