VIDEO: Union savages P&O as coastguard impounds Larne ferry – whilst Dutch dockers blockade vessel in solidarity

The RMT union, which represents many of the seafarers summarily sacked a week ago by the firm, made the demand after the coastguard identified worries about the training of the new low-paid crews who replaced the full-wage workers last week.

In 2018, there was a graphic illustration of just how important maritime safety is, when the same P&O ship suffered an accident which caused lorries filled with freight to topple over.

At that time, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said that the crew of the Bahamas-registered ferry had not taken enough account of bad weather, and the cargo vehicles were not properly lashed down.

WHAT IS THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW?:

The latest twist in this ongoing drama came last night when the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “We can confirm that the European Causeway has been detained in Larne.

“It has been detained due to failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training.

“The vessel will remain under detention until all these issues are resolved by P&O Ferries. Only then will it be reinspected.”

This morning, P&O said its Liverpool/Dublin route is still operating.

Dover/Calais is not, and when it comes to Larne/Cairnryan, the firm said this: “Services remain suspended. It is no longer possible for us to arrange travel via an alternative operator on this route. For essential travel, customers are advised to seek alternatives themselves.”

‘IMPOUND THE LOT!’:

Now in response the RMT has called on the government to “seize the entire fleet and take action to get them back in service with the sacked crew reinstated”.

In a statement its general Secretary Mick Lynch said: “The seizing of the European Causeway by the MCA shows that the gangster capitalist outfit P&O are not fit and proper to run a safe service after the jobs massacre.

“This mob should be barred, their ships impounded and the sacked crews reinstated to get these crucial ferry routes back running safely.”

Earlier on during Friday, the RMT said that efforts at negotiations between the union (traditionally regarded as one of the more militant ones in the UK) and the company broke up after 20 minutes.

The union complained that “from the outset the full obnoxiousness and hostility of the company towards their staff and the RMT was on display”.

It had also called upon “the entire labour movement, the public, the freight & logistics sector and the political community to support an immediate and total boycott of all P&O services”.

There are some signs this is happening.

A video emerged last night of about two dozen Dutch dockers with the RMT and Nautilus unions standing in front of the main doors of the Pride of Rotterdam ferry.

Labour MP Karl Turner said it was their aim to “refuse to let the Pride of Rotterdam leave Europort, Rotterdam for Hull”.

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