The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today it has cleared a P&O vessel two days after it ran out of power off the coast of Northern Ireland.
“Our surveyors have carried out a full inspection of the European Causeway and are satisfied that it is safe to sail again,” said an MCA spokesperson.
Running on Scotland to Northern Ireland services, the European Causeway lost power for an hour and it was unable to “keep out of the way of another vessel,” following what P&O described as a “temporary mechanical issue.”
The MCA said the vessel was not allowed to use its shaft generator for “provision of main power” but instead it should rely on “other generators for its electricity use.”
As part of the government’s crackdown against the company after it sacked 800 seafarers and replaced them with cheaper agency workers, the vessel was initially detained on 25 March and allowed to resume services on 11 April.
The move – which sparked fears over the safety of P&O’s fleet – came a day after transport secretary Grant Shapps mandated UK ports to check seafarers’ salaries.
Shapps, who has been calling for P&O’s boss Peter Hebblethwaite to resign, yesterday told the Commons’ Transport Select Committee ports will need to check working conditions “to ensure [a ship] is within the law.”
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