Crew aboard P&O ferry didn’t know how to use survival craft, coastguard says
Cheaper agency crews brought in after P&O dismissed 800 seafarers didn’t know how to use survival craft, according to a report published today.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) found 23 failures on the Spirit of Britain ferry, including not properly maintained fast rescue boats, broken oil filtering equipment and inadequate fire safety systems.
The Spirit of Britain was initially detained on 13 April as part of the government’s crackdown on P&O’s safety and employment tactics but it was cleared for service 10 days later.
The ship restarted Dover to Calais freight services on 25 April, with passenger routes to resume next week.
Coastguard agents said there was also a “lack of familiarity” with the “operation of life-saving appliances” including life-jackets and boats.
Mick Lynch, general secretary at union RMT, called the findings “further evidence that P&O is a capitalist bandit sailing in our waters.”
“The lack of care and respect P&O clearly has for safety regulations – that are designed to save lives in the event of maritime emergencies – is on a par with their appalling treatment of the loyal 800-strong workforce who were sacked last month,” he said.
The report comes on the same day the MCA cleared a P&O vessel for the second time, only two days after it moored off the coast of Northern Ireland due to a “temporary mechanical issue.”
The European Causeway, which was given the green light on 11 April, lost power for an hour and it was unable to “keep out of the way of another vessel,” City PM reported.