Cheaper agency workers hired by P&O Ferries to replace sacked seafarers did not know how to use life-saving appliances, according to a new report.

A total of 23 failures on Spirit of Britain were found by Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) inspectors.

Fast rescue boats were not properly maintained and oil filtering equipment was not working.

There were also five deficiencies with working conditions, and five relating to fire safety systems.

placeholder image — PABest The Spirit of Britain arrives at the Port of Dover, in Kent, as P&O Ferries resume Dover-Calais sailings for freight customers. The vessel was detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on April 12 after safety issues were found, but was cleared to sail last Friday. The ferry company sacked nearly 800 seafarers with no notice on March 17, replacing them with cheaper agency workers. Picture date: Wednesday April 27, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story SEA Ferries. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Spirit of Britain was detained following the inspection on April 11, before being cleared to sail on April 22.

The vessel was used by P&O Ferries to restart operations between Dover and Calais on Tuesday for the first time since the company sacked nearly 800 seafarers and replaced them with agency workers on March 17 to save money.

The 23 safety failures were listed without further details by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is an alliance of 27 national maritime authorities including the UK.

It stated there was a “lack of familiarity” with the “operation of life-saving appliances”, which could relate to equipment such as rescue boats, lifeboats, life-jackets or flares.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch described the report as “further evidence that P&O is a capitalist bandit sailing in our waters”.

He said: “The lack of care and respect P&O clearly has for safety regulations – that are designed to save lives in the event of maritime emergencies – is on a par with their appalling treatment of the loyal 800-strong workforce who were sacked last month.

“There can be no doubt that the public and haulage firms should boycott P&O Ferries on safety, security and moral grounds until the Government steps in and takes over the running of this rogue maritime operator.”

Spirit of Britain was built in 2011 and can carry up to 2,000 passengers.

At 213 metres long it is one of the largest ferries in Europe.

Thirty-one safety failures were found by the MCA on another P&O Ferries vessel, European Causeway, resulting in it being detained on March 25.

European Causeway was cleared to sail on April 8, but suffered a power failure on Tuesday which left it adrift in the Irish Sea for more than an hour.

The MCA said it can sail again with a restriction on what generators it can use for electricity.

A total of eight P&O Ferries vessels will be probed by the agency following the mass sackings.