P&O Ferries: European Causeway back in service after inspection

A P&O ferry which spent hours adrift in the Irish Sea on Tuesday is back in service after passing an inspection.

The European Causeway lost power off the County Antrim coast while sailing from Scotland to Northern Ireland.

The Maritime And Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the ferry would have to remain in dock until it was reviewed.

An MCA spokeswoman said: "Our surveyors have carried out a full inspection of the European Causeway and are satisfied that it is safe to sail again."

P&O has experienced difficulties in the last few months, having sacked 800 of its workers across the UK without notice and replacing them with cheaper agency workers paid below the minimum wage.

On Wednesday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the firm should repay the £11m in government money it had received to furlough staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Shapps' comments came as the carrier resumed cross-Channel sailings for the first time since the sackings.

On Tuesday, the Spirit Of Britain was the first P&O vessel to resume sailings on the Dover-Calais route, after being detained for nearly a fortnight by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency over safety concerns.

The 22-year-old ship was held in Larne and not cleared to sail until 8 April following another examination.

Although P&O had recruited new staff, the MCA said it remained concerned about "failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training".

On Thursday, the MCA spokeswoman said a condition had been put in place "which requires the shaft generator not to be used for provision of main power" on the ferry.

"In the meantime, the European Causeway can rely on other generators for its electricity use.

"There are no further inspections of P&O Ferries at the moment but we will reinspect when requested by P&O Ferries."

The European Causeway, which can carry up to 410 passengers, left Cairnryan at about 12:00 BST on Tuesday and was due to arrive in Larne at 14:00, but got into trouble at 13:30.

P&O said the incident was caused by a "temporary mechanical issue" that had been resolved.

It returned to port "under its own propulsion, with local tugs on standby, where it will discharge its passengers and cargo as planned," a spokesperson added.

The MCA said on Tuesday that there were no concerns for passengers' safety at any point.

"When any vessel reports an issue to the MCA, dependent on the nature of the issue, the MCA may undertake an inspection of that vessel.

"We generally follow up all issues reported on passenger vessels to ensure the safety of those onboard the vessel and that any issues are not so serious that they pose a threat to life or the environment.

"In the case of European Causeway we will be following up the incident with an inspection."