P&O Ferries safety concerns as ‘unfamiliar’ agency staff set to work in world’s busiest shipping lane

A trade union boss has raised concerns about agency workers who are set to crew P&O Ferries, including across the Dover Strait, which is the world’s busiest shipping lane. Sailing the stretch of water has been compared to “walking across a six-lane motorway at rush hour” by Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson.

Around 500 to 600 ships pass through the Dover Strait every day and it’s one of the four routes P&O operates. The company sacked 800 workers on Thursday without notice and they are set to be replaced by agency staff - but trade Union Nautilus International has urged the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to “make sure the ships are safe” as the new crews are “unfamiliar” with the vessels and routes.

Passengers have been informed that services will be suspended “for the next few days”. Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson said it was “an intensely worrying situation”, WalesOnline reports.

READ MORE: Sacked P&O Ferries staff to protest on Friday after 800 workers are replaced

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There are serious safety concerns, which is why the company cannot reintroduce services with the lower-paid agency crew that they’ve recruited via this company called International Ferry Management of Malta.”

Mr Dickinson said the MCA must be “absolutely clear and confident that those new crew, unfamiliar with the vessels, unfamiliar with the routes, with the berths” can operate the ships safely. He added: “We’ve written to the Maritime Coastguard Agency and we hope and we pray that they will do their job.”

Peter Aylott, director of policy at the UK Chamber of Shipping, which represents the industry, told Today he was “very confident that P&O will have put