P&O Dover Calais ferries not sailing today, awaiting company announcement.

[Concerto]

All P&O ferries between Dover and Calais, and other routes, are docked and not sailing today to await a company announcement. It is possible they are entering adminstartion.

Services cancelled amid 'major' P&O news

 

[Concerto]

More information is available here.
https://twitter.com/search?q=p&o+ferries&ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^search
UK seafarers told to ‘remain onboard’ as P&O suspends operations – latest updates
P&O cancels services and tells ships to stay in port

The announcement is due at midday.

 

[Poignard]

Well that makes three threads on the go dealing with this topic!

 

[Concerto]

Reading in depth there seem to be 2 thoughts about the problem.

The effects of Covid on top of Brexit have reduced the demand for ferry crossings. The Dover Calais route has also had new competition from an Irish ferry company that has been undercutting P&O. To reduce costs they may be sacking all existing staff and replacing with foreign staff.

The second area is that P&O have 40% of their shares owned by a Russian company and may be running foul of the block on Russian investments due to the Ukrane war.

 

[Concerto]

Well that makes three threads on the go dealing with this topic!

No doubt they will be merged soon, but I have not seen the other two.

Just checked and found I posted an hour before the Telegraph and nearly 2 hours before the BBC.

 

[WF36]

 

[Sailfree]

Well that makes three threads on the go dealing with this topic!

I think 2 have been deleted.

No doubt all be revealed in due course.

Speculate over the reason.

1. Staff been made redundant - being replaced by cheaper labour?

2. Financial losses caused by Covid Travel Restrictions

3. Anticipated future reduced travel (Fuel costs and other aspects)

4. Instructions from shareholders (40% owned by Russia- twitter info - appears initially to be false)

5. Requesting a financial government bail out?

6. Ships being re-registered in another country (Russia!!!)


The mind boggles with potential causes

 

[jordanbasset]

I believe P&O is owned by Dubai World. Which is controlled by the Dubai Government/Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Some reports coming out the intention is to sack existing staff and replace them with cheaper staff
Time will tell

 

[Sailfree]

I believe P&O is owned by Dubai World. Which is controlled by the Dubai Government
Some reports coming out the intention is to sack existing staff and replace them with cheaper staff
Time will tell

On the twitter feed it say 40% owned by Russian money. Does Dubai World have Russian investors?

I suspect the Twitter info could be false info.

 

[jordanbasset]

On the twitter feed it say 40% owned by Russian money. Does Dubai World have Russian investors?

Maybe, it appears DP World, which again is based in Dubai and run by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem bought it from Dubai World recently. Lots of murky finance I suspect

 

[Poignard]

No doubt they will be merged soon, but I have not seen the other two.

My thread, entitled simply "P and O Ferries", opened with a short post containing links to the BBC website and The Independent.

Nothing else.

No comment, no emojis, nothing to which any reasonable person could possibly take exception.

Yet it has been taken down, and I was banned for a short time on the grounds that I had raised an "Unwelcome topic"!

 

[newtothis]

Some facts from our coverage of this story:
P&O Ferries is owned by DP World; the Russian connection is false.
It has issued redundancy notices to 800 seafarers.
It intends to replace them with foreign crew.
P&OF made a loss £100m last year. DP World says it is 'not viable' as is.
It took £4.3m in govt money last year.
DPW paid $270m to shareholders last year.
Services are likely to be suspended for several days.

 

[harvey38]

My thread, entitled simply "P and O Ferries", opened with a short post containing links to the BBC website and The Independent.

Nothing else.

No comment, no emojis, nothing to which any reasonable person could possibly take exception.

Yet it has been taken down, and I was banned for a short time on the grounds that I had raised an "Unwelcome topic"!

Maybe the Moderator has Russian interests.........just sayin' ( I'll check back and see if I have been suspended).

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Yes mine deemed unacceptable content which was simply a notice that may have been of interest to people as there are several that travel to Europe. There was no mention of the social or political implications so it surprises me that this one unlike Poignards and mine has been left to run.

 

[Poignard]

Maybe the Moderator has Russian interests.........just sayin' ( I'll check back and see if I have been suspended).

You may say that, I couldn't possibly comment . . . ?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Some facts from our coverage of this story:
P&O Ferries is owned by DP World; the Russian connection is false.
It has issued redundancy notices to 800 seafarers.
It intends to replace them with foreign crew.
P&OF made a loss £100m last year. DP World says it is 'not viable' as is.
It took £4.3m in govt money last year.
DPW paid $270m to shareholders last year.
Services are likely to be suspended for several days.

If my memory is not deceiving me replacing redundant staff or positions to be more accurate it contrary to British employment law.

 

[Hoolie]

Yet it has been taken down, and I was banned for a short time on the grounds that I had raised an "Unwelcome topic"!

Your mistake was you posted in the wrong place. Too boaty for the lounge ...

 

[Poignard]

Your mistake was you posted in the wrong place. Too boaty for the lounge ...

I deliberately put it in the Lounge because not only do many of us use ferries in connection with our boating activities, we also take non-boating holdays abroad.

 

[Bobc]

If my memory is not deceiving me replacing redundant staff or positions to be more accurate it contrary to British employment law.

If I remember rightly, if you make a position redundant, you are not allowed to re-fill that position within 6 months. However, I suspect that using agency staff is a way around that problem.

 

[Hoolie]

There are indeed strict rules about redundancy. But from what I can tell the existing crews have been sacked, not made redundant. I think it's quite likely the ships will have been transferred to foreign registry and may no longer be subject to UK laws.