P&O ferry loses power on sailing from Dumfries and Galloway to Northern Ireland

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A full inspection is to be carried out on a P&O ferry that lost power in the Irish Sea.The European Causeway was on a crossing from Cairnryan to Larne when it lost power on Tuesday afternoon.P&O claimed the boat was hit by a “temporary mechanical issue” and made it to Larne “under its own propulsion”.Lifeboats and tugs were launched from Larne and Belfast to guide the ferry to port.And the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) says the boat will have to stay at Larne until it passes safety checks.The drama happened just two days after P&O had resumed running two ferries – European Highlander and European Causeway – on the route for the first time since announcing in March that it was making 800 staff redundant.Following the announcement, inspections by the MCA found defects on both boats.P&O claim the move was necessary as “without these changes there is no future for P&O Ferries”.However, their actions drew criticism from across the political spectrum and from trade unions.Tomorrow, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union plan to block access to the port.

They’ll be running buses from Glasgow to Cairnryan and are asking people to boycott the ferry.Regional officer Gordon Martin said: “This is due to an unprovoked attack from P&O Ferries on RMT and trade union members when they unceremoniously sacked 800 workers.“We cannot allow that to go unchallenged, as who will be next.

We will be blockading the port on Friday in the hope that they receive this message.”South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth plans to attend the protest and urged others to support the former P&O workers.