By P&O ferry departs for first time since controversial sacking
A ferry that has been dormant since the sacking of 800 P&O workers has set sail for the first time since the controversial announcement.
The Pride of Hull, was carrying freight from Hull to Rotterdam, leaving at around 20:30 BST.
The service is understood to involve the lower-paid replacements of the sacked staff.
The RMT union has apparently said the ferry should be stopped, despite passing the required checks.
According to reports, Union representatives have written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, in an effort to ban the ship from sailing.
In Hull, allegedly around 80 workers were sacked by P&O in a video call.
The crew reportedly occupied the vessel in the city’s dock for around five hours in protest.
It is understood protests against the decision were also held along the quayside, in the city’s King George Dock.
P&O claimed that the business was “Not sustainable” as an explanation for the sackings.
The Rail and Maritime Union have demanded that Transport secretary Grant Shapps detain the P&O ferry Pride of Hull over safety concerns.
According to the Union, port authorities in the Netherlands listed failures around fire safety, deficient training for crew, and below standard ship structural integrity, during an inspection.
Labelling P&O a “rogue ferry operator” RMT general secretary Mick Lynch wrote: “It is particularly alarming that P&O Ferries is taking such a dangerous and cavalier approach to safety on this particular vessel.
“You will recall that there was a serious fire on the Bahamas registered Pride of Hull in October 2020, the consequences of which could have been far more serious if the vessel had been further out to sea when the fire started.
“To cut corners on fire safety and lifeboat training on a vessel with that recent record is unforgivable.
