What's going on with P&O Ferries?

beckstar1975

We've just used our credit voucher to pay for 2 trips to France (which were much more expensive than they've been before) - and one's 4 weeks today. Any idea what's going on?

I would have thought not a simple take-over as that wouldn't be enough to halt the fleet. . . .

bagand96

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/p-o-ferries-dover-calais-cancelled-b2037850.html P&O FERRIES: ALL SAILINGS HALTED AHEAD OF ‘MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT’

Seems a bit strange. Only major company announcements I can think of that completely halt operations are not usually good ones. 

Aylesbury_Duck

Have you got decent insurance in place?

soolin

Company have denied that they are going into administration.

beckstar1975

I've got insurance - although as it was a credit note from a trip due in 2020 not sure if that complicates things. Can pay for another crossing with DFDS if I have to - just really odd there's been no rumours and the abrupt manner of it

beckstar1975

hmmm - the P&O website has gone down too

beckstar1975

Actually it hasn't - just have to use incognito to access it oddly

bagand96

beckstar1975 said:

hmmm - the P&O website has gone down too

beckstar1975 said:

Actually it hasn't - just have to use incognito to access it oddly

Probably just the volume of people trying to access it in an attempt to find out what's going on. 

Westin

Something major to make the company immediately suspend sailings and "discharge their passengers and cargo" from ships in ports.
https://news.sky.com/story/p-o-ferries-suspends-all-sailings-ahead-of-major-announcement-12568327 

Is their any Russian funding and/or share holding in DP World (the Dubai based owners)?

sheramber

In the Commons, shadow transport minister Mike Kane said:

Worrying news has just broken that P&O Ferries have been called to port as DP World, their owners, seek the long-term viability of this ferry company..................

Unions warn P&O may be planning to replace UK workers

The RMT union has issued a statement, demanding that British jobs are protected amid “speculation” that P&O is planning to sack UK seafarers and replace them with foreign workers.

Its general secretary Mike Lynch has told staff not to leave their ships:

We are deeply disturbed by growing speculation that the company are today planning to sack hundreds of UK seafarers and replace them with foreign labour.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/03/17/turmoil-ports-po-ferries-suspends-operations-latest-updates/

beckstar1975

Good grief - how awful, they're such a big employer down there. I know that they 'reflagged' to Cyprus a while ago to get around Brexit but this fire and rehire if it is that sounds awful. And so badly handled