<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13524648" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="po-ferries" source="Orion">P&amp;O Ferries</keyword> is under criminal and civil investigation by the UK's Insolvency Service.</li><li>The firm's boss admitted to MPs that the company had not followed its statutory obligations.</li></ul>P&amp;O Ferries is under criminal and civil investigation after the firm fired 786 people without notice and replaced them with lower-paid crew.Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed on Friday afternoon that the Insolvency Service had launched a formal investigation into "the circumstances surrounding the recent redundancies made by P&amp;O Ferries".Kwarteng had written to the watchdog on 23rd March, calling for an "urgent and thorough enquiry" into P&amp;O's mass layoffs, to "determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not."<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Kwasi Kwarteng (@KwasiKwarteng) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1509882841194237952">April 1, 2022</a></blockquote>P&amp;O Ferries <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/po-ferries-canceled-sailings-kicked-passengers-off-staff-rmt-boat-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">made the staff redundant without notice on March 17</a>, with the company drawing strong criticism for its handling of the redundancies. The staff were replaced with lower-paid agency workers.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said chief executive Peter Hebbethwaite had "stood before MPs and admitted to breaking the law, and his actions must now be scrutinised."He was referring to Hebblethwaite's <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/9989/pdf/">apperance before MPs, in which he said</a> that the firm "chose not to consult" seafarers' unions ahead of making 786 staff redundant."There is absolutely no doubt that we were required to consult with the unions. We chose not to do so," Hebblethwaite admitted.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1509887708331712515">April 1, 2022</a></blockquote>The government has been highly critical of the decision, this week unveiling plans it say would leave "little choice" but for P&amp;O Ferries to reverse its decision.In a letter to Hebblethwaite made public on Monday, Shapps said proposals being brought to parliament would "block the outcome that P&amp;O Ferries has pursued, including paying workers less than the minimum wage."One P&amp;O Ferries ship was detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on March 26 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/po-ferries-ship-detained-safety-concerns-crew-training-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">over safety concerns about crew training</a>.

P&O Ferries under criminal and civil investigation after boss admits 'breaking the law', UK minister says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A P&amp;O Ferries ship has been detained over safety concerns regarding crew training. </li><li>The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it will remain under detention until the issues are resolved.</li></ul>A vessel belonging to a major <keyword id="11897975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uk" source="Orion">UK</keyword> company P&amp;O Ferries has been detained over safety concerns regarding the training of new crew members. In a statement to Insider, The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the European Causeway ship was held "due to failures on crew familiarization, vessel documentation and crew training."The <keyword id="12279353" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ferry" source="Orion">ferry</keyword> has been held in Larne, a town in Northern Ireland. "The vessel will remain under detention until all these issues are resolved by P&amp;O Ferries. Only then will it be reinspected," the coastguard said. It added: "Detention of ships is based on concerns over their safety and to prevent them going to sea."According to Sky <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">News</keyword>, there were no passengers on board when the seizure of the ship was announced. P&amp;O did not immediately respond to Insider's request made outside of normal working hours. The move comes days after P&amp;O Ferries abruptly canceled all its sailings and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/po-ferries-canceled-sailings-kicked-passengers-off-staff-rmt-boat-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">sacked 800 members of staff</a> without any notice. In a previous statement to Insider, P&amp;O said in regards to the mass firing: "Our survival is dependent on making swift and significant changes now. Without these changes there is no future for P&amp;O Ferries."In a <a href="https://twitter.com/POferriesupdate/status/1507598230737014790?s=20&amp;t=VP0IbCaTLZpmlaqDbO9Kew">tweet on Saturday morning</a>, P&amp;O announced disruptions to sailings. It said: "P&amp;O Ferries services are unable to run some of our services over the next few days. We are advising travellers of alternative arrangements." UK <keyword id="11894932" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="transport" source="Orion">transport</keyword> secretary <keyword id="13473034" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="grant-shapps" source="Orion">Grant Shapps</keyword> confirmed<a href="https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1507475132948058114?cxt=HHwWhMDU8a-p0OspAAAA"></a> the latest announcement in a <a href="https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1507475132948058114?cxt=HHwWhMDU8a-p0OspAAAA">tweet</a>, saying the ship was detained on grounds of being "unfit to sail." He said: "I will not compromise the safety of these vessels and P&amp;O will not be able to rush inexperienced crew through training."Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, also responded to the detainment of the ship. Per Sky News, he said: "The gangster capitalist outfit P&amp;O are not fit &amp; proper to run a safe service after the jobs massacre. This mob should be barred, their ships impounded &amp; the sacked crews reinstated."

A major ferry company's ship has been detained over failures in crew training, the coastguard says, days after 800 staff members were fired

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11897975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uk" source="Orion">UK</keyword> company <keyword id="13407184" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="po" source="Orion">P&amp;O</keyword> Ferries abruptly canceled sailings on Thursday "for the next few days."</li><li>It said that it was firing 800 members of staff and that its current business was "not viable."</li></ul>UK shipping company P&amp;O Ferries abruptly canceled all its sailings on Thursday morning and announced it was firing 800 staff."P&amp;O Ferries services are unable to run for the next few days," the company <a href="https://twitter.com/POferriesupdate/status/1504444470405836805">tweeted</a> Thursday. In an update five and a half hours prior, it had said that its ferries wouldn't run "for the next few hours."In a statement to Insider, the company said that it was providing 800 seafarers with immediate severance notices.It would compensate staff with enhanced compensation packages "for this lack of advance notice," P&amp;O said.The Rail, Maritime, and <keyword id="11894932" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="transport" source="Orion">Transport</keyword> Union (RMT) has <a href="https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/future-of-pando/">told members</a> to remain onboard ships.P&amp;O says on its <a href="https://www.poferries.com/en/about">website</a> that it has almost 4,000 members of staff and operates more than 30,000 sailings a year. The company, which carries more than 10 million passengers annually, operates routes between England and France, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands. The firm also has a logistics arm, P&amp;O Ferrymasters.P&amp;O told Insider: "In its current state, P&amp;O Ferries is not a viable business." It said that it had made a £100 million ($131 million) loss year-on-year, which had been covered by its parent company DP World."This is not sustainable," P&amp;O said. "Our survival is dependent on making swift and significant changes now. Without these changes there is no future for P&amp;O Ferries."Prior to making the announcement, P&amp;O said in a message to staff seen by <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/p-o-ferries-dover-calais-cancelled-b2037850.html">The Independent</a> and posted on <a href="https://twitter.com/KarlTurnerMP/status/1504378703001927680/photo/1">Twitter</a> by Karl Turner, the member of parliament for East Hull, that "all our vessels have been asked to discharge their passengers and cargo," adding that it expected all its ports to experience "serious disruption."Turner shared a <a href="https://twitter.com/KarlTurnerMP/status/1504421582277652480">photo</a> on Twitter which he said showed "new foreign crew waiting to board the Pride of Hull," a vessel owned by P&amp;O.A spokesperson for the company told The Independent: "P&amp;O Ferries is not going into liquidation. We have asked all ships to come alongside, in preparation for a company announcement."Until then, services from P&amp;O will not be running and we are advising travellers of alternative arrangements," it said.The company said on Twitter that passengers should <a href="https://twitter.com/POferriesupdate">still arrive at ports at the planned times</a>, where they would be referred to another <keyword id="12279353" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ferry" source="Orion">ferry</keyword> carry, and added that it would post operational updates <a href="https://twitter.com/POferriesupdate/status/1504424488523415552">every 30 minutes.</a>Do you work for P&amp;O? Got a story? Contact this reporter at gdean@insider.com.

A major UK ferry company has abruptly canceled all its sailings and fired 800 staff

<ul class="summary-list"><li>UK shipping company <keyword id="13407184" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="po" source="Orion">P&amp;O</keyword> Ferries used a video message to notify staff that 800 seafarers were losing their jobs, the BBC reported.</li><li>"Your final day of employment is today," staff were told in the video.</li></ul>UK shipping company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/po-ferries-canceled-sailings-kicked-passengers-off-staff-rmt-boat-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">P&amp;O Ferries used a video message</a> to notify staff that 800 seafarers were being immediately fired on Thursday, outlets including the BBC reported.P&amp;O's vessels "going forward will be primarily crewed by a third-party crew provider," a P&amp;O staff member said in a video shared by <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60779001">the BBC</a>."Therefore I am sorry to inform you that this means your employment is terminated with immediate effect on the grounds of redundancy," he said. "Your final day of employment is today."The company announced on Thursday that it was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/po-ferries-canceled-sailings-kicked-passengers-off-staff-rmt-boat-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">laying off 800 staff</a>. It would provide the affected workers with enhanced compensation packages "for this lack of advance notice," P&amp;O said.James Sloth, who has worked for P&amp;O the company in Dover for around four years, told the BBC that it was a "complete surprise" and that staff had only received a "three-minute pre-recorded message saying we are out of a job. Nothing else."P&amp;O told Insider: "All affected crew who worked today were notified face-to-face and in-person, on board their vessels. For crew who were rostered off, P&amp;O Ferries made all efforts to notify them personally: Virtual meetings were held, they are each also individually being telephoned, plus email and SMS notifications were sent before dismissal letters and severance terms were shared via courier and email.""For any crew members we did not reach personally despite this cascade of steps, regretfully the <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> of their dismissal must have come as a shock and we apologise for this," the company said.The Rail, Maritime, and <keyword id="11894932" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="transport" source="Orion">Transport</keyword> Union (RMT) has <a href="https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/future-of-pando/">told members</a> to remain onboard ships. Speaking in the House of Commons, Labour member of parliament, Diana Johnson, <a href="https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1504459539420229636">said</a> that RMT had told her that P&amp;O's parent company DP World had hired security workers in balaclava who were attempting to remove crew from ships."We are receiving reports that security guards at Dover are seeking to board ships with handcuffs to remove crew so they can be replaced with cheaper labour," RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said in a <a href="https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/pando-sackings/">statement</a>.P&amp;O denied the claims."The teams escorting the seafarers off our vessels have been totally professional in handling this difficult task with all appropriate sensitivity," it told Insider."Contrary to rumours, none of our people have been wearing balaclavas nor directed to use handcuffs nor force," the company said. "Instead, they have remained professional, sympathetic and calm in a challenging situation for everyone, trying to ensure the safety of all the people on board."Karl Turner, the member of parliament for East Hull, shared a <a href="https://twitter.com/KarlTurnerMP/status/1504421582277652480">photo</a> on Twitter which he said showed "new foreign crew waiting to board the Pride of Hull," a vessel owned by P&amp;O.Keith Davis, a contractor fixing kitchen equipment on the Pride of Hull, told the BBC that he was stuck on the vessel with eight other contractors because the captain had lifted the gangway."We're being held against our will, I'm not trying to be dramatic, but we can't get off the ship," he told the broadcaster.<h2>P&amp;O's says its business isn't currently 'viable'</h2>P&amp;O said it was suspending sailings "for the next few days."It attributed the layoffs to continued losses at the company."In its current state, P&amp;O Ferries is not a viable business," the company told Insider. It said that it had made a £100 million ($131 million) loss year-on-year, which had been covered by DP World."This is not sustainable," P&amp;O said. "Our survival is dependent on making swift and significant changes now. Without these changes there is no future for P&amp;O Ferries.""These circumstances have resulted in a very difficult but necessary decision, which was only taken after seriously considering all the available options," it added.P&amp;O says on its <a href="https://www.poferries.com/en/about">website</a> that it has almost 4,000 members of staff and operates more than 30,000 sailings a year.Do you work for P&amp;O? Got a story? Contact this reporter at gdean@insider.com.

A UK ferry company used a video message to fire staff and then sent security guards to take them off ships, reports say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Passengers say they've waited six hours at the Port of <keyword id="14528890" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dover" source="Orion">Dover</keyword> to complete security checks, per BBC <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">News</keyword>.</li><li>The port and the MP of Dover have blamed French authorities for not providing enough resources.</li></ul>Travelers say they've waited six hours to complete border checks at the busiest ferry port in Europe because only half of the passport booths are open, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-62263176">BBC News</a>.The <keyword id="11897975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uk" source="Orion">UK</keyword>'s Port of Dover, where cross-channel ferries sail to France, is putting the blame on French authorities for disrupting travelers' vacations, according to a <a href="https://www.doverport.co.uk/about/news/woefully-inadequate-french-border-resource-ruins-s/13687/">statement</a> it released Friday morning. BBC News reported that out of 12 passport booths run by the French authorities, only six were open.Doug Bannister, the port's CEO, declared to BBC News the disruption was a "critical incident.""I'm booked onto 8am ferry from Dover and it's total gridlock," one Twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/bernard_poon/status/1550358512085114881">posted</a>. "Moved 50 metres per hour. At this rate it'll be 34 hours before I get to the port! I have a screaming toddler and 3 month old."Another person stuck in the traffic at Dover told BBC News that "everything has gone pear shaped" because of the long wait, despite arriving at the port two hours early for a ferry.P&amp;O Ferries <a href="https://twitter.com/POferriesupdate/status/1550427345042948096?s=20&amp;t=bXHnrmK0v0Gop7WAWBBB3Q">warned</a> travelers that there were queues lasting between four and five hours to reach border checks at Dover port. Passengers should arrive at least five hours before their booking to allow enough time to pass through security checks, it <a href="https://twitter.com/POferriesupdate/status/1550434092956766210?s=20&amp;t=qgUs2UAGyADKhzpOwJ43DA">said</a>.The Port of Dover said in a statement: "We are deeply frustrated that the resource at the French border overnight and early this morning has been woefully inadequate to meet our predicted demand."The port accused France's Police Aux Frontieres (PAF) of providing "insufficient" resources and said it had "fallen far short" of what is needed for services to run smoothly."French Border Officers didn't turn up for work at the passport controls as needed," Natalie Elphicke, member of parliament for Dover, <a href="https://twitter.com/NatalieElphicke/status/1550403508494647296?s=20&amp;t=qgUs2UAGyADKhzpOwJ43DA">tweeted</a>. "This has caused massive delays."Police Aux Frontieres could not immediately be contacted for comment.

Holidaymakers at Europe's busiest ferry port say they've queued for 6 hours to complete border checks because only 6 of the usual 12 passport booths are open

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Cruise crew members are accusing Carnival UK of threatening to "fire and rehire" 919 of them.</li><li>A maritime union said Carnival UK filed a notice of mass layoffs as it was negotiating pay cuts.</li></ul>UK cruise giant Carnival has been accused by union employees of threatening to fire more than 900 crew members if they don't take pay cuts as high as 20%.Nautilus International, a trade union representing the maritime workers, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/nautilusint/status/1727819726951268790">on Thursday said</a> Carnival UK was indicating amid negotiations that it wanted to "fire and rehire" 919 employees.The accusation references a previous scandal involving another cruise company, P&amp;O Ferries. Unions said P&amp;O Ferries <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/po-ferries-canceled-sailings-kicked-passengers-off-staff-rmt-boat-2022-3">fired 800 workers in 2022</a> without notice, and replaced them with foreign agency workers paid as little as $2.26 an hour.Now, Nautilus alleges Carnival UK is threatening to pull off a similar move.Carnival UK, which runs 10 cruise ships through operators P&amp;O Cruises and Cunard, denied such claims. P&amp;O Cruises and P&amp;O Ferries are wholly separate companies."We are categorically not making any redundancies and will not dismiss and re-engage staff," a Carnival UK spokesperson told Business Insider, saying the firm was conducting an "annual pay review process."The entire dispute stems from negotiations between Carnival UK and Nautilus over potential pay cuts.In a statement seen by BI, Nautilus said the Carnival UK wants to "enforce a cut in 20% of their working days," which would effectively reduce the annual take-home pay of its ship workers.The union said it started negotiations on November 14, but was told on Wednesday evening that Carnival UK had filed a HR1 form — a notice that companies must submit to the UK government when carrying out mass layoffs.Nautilus alleged that Carnival UK's hiring firm, Fleet Maritime Services, wrote in the HR1 form that it didn't plan for redundancies, but that "dismissal and re-engagement may be considered if agreement cannot be reached on new terms."The union said this showed that Carnival UK "never had any intention of 'meaningful negotiation.'"Carnival UK's spokesperson told BI that instead of redundancies, the company has "significantly increased our headcount across our fleet."They said Carnival UK's pay review would "ensure alignment" between the company and its maritime workers. "This will empower our staff, deliver the right teams across our fleet, and attract and retain talent to work on our ships," the spokesperson added.Carnival UK is run by the Carnival Corporation group, which also operates Carnival Cruise Line, the US cruise company.The group also operates Princess Cruises and P&amp;O Cruises Australia.November 24, 2023: This story was updated to reflect comment from Carnival UK and Nautilus International.

Cruise staff say Carnival UK threatened to get rid of 919 of them if they refuse to take pay cuts

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Russian businessman's $50 million yacht, Phi, was detained by the UK in <keyword id="11897569" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="london" source="Orion">London</keyword> on Tuesday.</li><li>Its captain called the detention "government overreach and nothing more than a publicity stunt."</li></ul>The captain of a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/phi-superyacht-canary-wharf-seized-london-russia-ukraine-businessman-sanction-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">$50 million yacht</a> owned by a Russian businessman said its detention by British authorities was "government overreach and nothing more than a publicity stunt."The yacht, Phi, was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-businessman-superyacht-seized-uk-government-awards-ceremony-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">detained by the UK on Tuesday</a> in <keyword id="13139353" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="canary-wharf" source="Orion">Canary Wharf</keyword>, London's financial hub. <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/b6a478a0-e82a-4fb9-93cf-c0c41b4b4737">The Financial Times</a> reported that the 192-foot vessel is owned by Vitaly Vasilievich Kochetkov, who founded Motiv Telecom.The UK transport secretary, Grant Shapps, <a href="https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/38-million-superyacht-phi-detained-in-canary-wharf">said</a> that by seizing the vessel, authorities had "turned an icon of Russia's power and wealth into a clear and stark warning to <keyword id="11909347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="putin" source="Orion">Putin</keyword> and his cronies."The West has been sanctioning Russian elites and <keyword id="13281691" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="oligarchs" source="Orion">oligarchs</keyword> and seizing their assets to put pressure on the country to stop its invasion of Ukraine. But Shapps didn't say whether the yacht was owned by a sanctioned oligarch, and the National Crime Agency (NCA) told Insider it was "not providing detail in relation to the owner."<div type="image" title="Phi superyacht London" height="2964" width="3952" msid="90570464" hostid="261"></div>Kochetkov, who is alleged to be the owner, has not been sanctioned by the UK. But on <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-introduces-new-sanctions-against-russia-including-ban-on-ships-and-fresh-financial-measures">March 1,</a> the UK banned all Russian-owned or -operated ships from its ports, and gave authorities the power to detain Russian vessels. Shapps <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oligarch-sanction-yachts-russia-ukraine-uk-banned-ships-putin-shapps-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">said</a> in mid-March that the UK was "investigating a small number of yachts moored in this country" with suspected links to Russian oligarchs.""The vessel isn't seized, merely detained," an NCA spokesperson told Insider, speaking about Phi. "It remains the property and responsibility of the owner but is effectively prevented from leaving."Discussing Phi's detention, its <a href="https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht/phi/">captain</a> Guy Booth said on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/superyachttimes_%3F%3F%3F%3F%3F%3F-bbc-news-has-just-announced-activity-6914540892146036736-VnZD?utm_source=linkedin_share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop_web">LinkedIn</a>: "This is a government overreach and nothing more than a publicity stunt."He said claimed that collectively punishing all Russians for the actions of one person "is illegal under international law," citing clauses from both the Hague and Geneva Conventions."The way Grant Shapps has thrown the vessel and her crew in the media spotlight today has shown a blatant disregard to the security and safety of British crew working on board the yacht," Booth told <a href="https://www.boatinternational.com/business/superyacht-phi-detained-in-uk">Boat International</a>.Phi has been moored in Canary Wharf <a href="https://www.boatinternational.com/yachts/news/project-phi-superyacht-royal-huisman">since December</a> after it made its maiden voyage from the Netherlands."The ownership of the yacht was deliberately well hidden," the NCA <a href="https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/38-million-superyacht-phi-detained-in-canary-wharf">said</a> in a statement, adding that the ship was registered to a company based in the islands of St Kitts and Nevis and carried Maltese flags "to hide its origins."Insider visited the dock before Phi's detention was announced and has returned multiple times since. For the first roughly 24 hours after the detention notice was served to the vessel, the boat didn't look any different. The only physical barriers to the boat were were two thin chains separating the dock from the footpath, which were in place along the whole footpath and looked easy to step over.<div type="image" title="Phi yacht fence Canary Wharf" height="1500" width="3000" msid="90570466" hostid="261"></div>But on Wednesday afternoon, staff from the Canal and River Trust erected a metal fence around the dock, images from Getty Images photographer Richard Baker show.Last week, Insider saw staff on the deck cleaning the vessel. Since the detention was announced, Insider has seen some staff in Phi-branded clothes on the yacht but they have largely stayed hidden from view.Insider had also spotted a small inflatable Phi-branded dinghy, which had been docked next to the vessel before it was detained. It remained there until late Wednesday morning, when it was removed.<div type="image" title="Phi yacht dinghy" height="1500" width="3000" msid="90570468" hostid="261"></div>Insider saw multiple passersby taking photos of the vessel since the detention was announced."I was expecting it to be bigger than it actually is," one local resident, who has watched dozens of boats and yachts dock in Canary Wharf, told Insider.The yacht also has two small signs referring to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/po-ferries-canceled-sailings-kicked-passengers-off-staff-rmt-boat-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">the UK travel company P&amp;O Ferries, which laid off 800 seafarers earlier this month.</a> "P&amp;O? Justice for the 800," Phi's signs read.<div type="image" title="Phi yacht London" height="3120" width="4160" msid="90570471" hostid="261"></div>

The captain of a $50 million yacht owned by a Russian businessman said its detention was 'government overreach' and a 'publicity stunt'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An English ferryman is offering a cruise to see all-but-abandoned cruise ships off the coast of Dorset, <keyword id="6355981" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="england">England</keyword>.</li><li>With cruise ship operations on pause worldwide, cruise lines including Carnival, Cunard, and P&amp;O have anchored their fleets.</li><li>Captain Paul Derham's "ghost ship <keyword id="21715" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="tour">tour</keyword>" lasts 2.5 hours and takes passengers within 130 feet of the towering vessels. </li><li>Home to a stretch of Instagram-worthy, fossil-filled cliffs known as the <a href="https://jurassiccoast.org/what-is-the-jurassic-coast/">Jurassic Coast</a>, Dorset is a popular resort destination.</li></ul>The view from Dorset's Jurassic Coast has looked a little different lately.With international <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> at a standstill, major cruise lines have taken to anchoring their ships in the waters off southwest England. Manned by skeleton crews, the ships are running on generators and returning to port to fuel up every few weeks, BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53720419">reported</a>.The ships, which include <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-audio-cunard-cruises-queen-victoria-has-cases-of-covid-19-2020-4">Cunard's Queen Victoria</a>, Carnival's Valor, and P&amp;O's Azura, have become something of a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/news/empty-cruise-ships-dorset/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw">tourist attraction</a>, prompting vacationers and locals to pause and snap photos of the unusual sight.Captain Marcin Banach of the Azura has been documenting the views from his vantage point on Twitter:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Marcin Banach (@CaptainMarcin) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1289902875993227268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2020</a></blockquote>Now, in a very meta move, an English ferryman is taking passengers on <keyword id="499344" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cruises">cruises</keyword> to see the abandoned cruise ships up close.Captain Paul Derham's "ghost ship tour," advertised on his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mudeford-Ferry-100326480011601/?ref=page_internal">Facebook page</a>, departs for Poole Bay from Mudeford Quay in Christchurch and can accommodate up to 20 people seated outside. The tours last 2.5 hours, cost £20 ($26) for adults, and are organized on short notice depending on weather and tides.<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpermalink.php%3Fstory_fbid%3D3534446856599529%26id%3D100326480011601&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=552&amp;height=581&amp;appId" width="552" height="581" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe>Derham's first two ghost ship tours sold out within two hours after he posted about them on Facebook, he <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53720419">told</a> BBC.Before purchasing <a href="http://www.mudefordferry.co.uk/">Mudeford Ferry</a>, Derham worked for P&amp;O Cruises for three decades and was deputy captain of one of the ships anchored off the Dorset coast, he <a href="https://www.wessexfm.com/news/dorset-news/3165126/ex-po-captain-gives-tours-of-cruise-ships-in-weymouth-bay/">told</a> Wessex FM. This background has served him well on tours. "I know what goes on inside the ships and having served on one or two of them, I can even recite stories," he <a href="https://www.wessexfm.com/news/dorset-news/3165126/ex-po-captain-gives-tours-of-cruise-ships-in-weymouth-bay/">said</a> in an interview with the radio station.Passengers are asked to bring their own food, and Paul takes care of the views, bringing passengers within 50 meters, or around 130 feet, of the ships that rise 20 or stories above the waterline.One cruise ship captain has taken to waving at the ghost ship tours with a six-foot-long piece of plywood, Derham shard with BBC.Derham is not the first travel operator to offer a creative solution to pandemic travel restrictions. Australia's Qantas airline recently resumed its sightseeing flights over Antarctica, Business Insider's David Slotnick <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/qantas-antarctica-flights-sightseeing-coronavirus-2020-8">reported</a>. The 12-hour "flights to nowhere" cross over Antarctica and return to their starting point, appeasing travelers' desire for a change of scenery without the need to deal with <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-restrictions/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-international-travellers">travel restrictions</a>, since (technically) it is a <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/travel/antarctica-flights-and-qantas-plan-to-fly-travellers-over-the-frozen-continent-from-november--c-1224156">domestic flight</a>.

You Searched For "po ferries" and got 8 results

P&O Ferries under criminal and civil investigation after boss admits 'breaking the law', UK minister says

Henry Dyer

A major ferry company's ship has been detained over failures in crew training, the coastguard says, days after 800 staff members were fired

Zahra Tayeb

A major UK ferry company has abruptly canceled all its sailings and fired 800 staff

Grace Dean

A UK ferry company used a video message to fire staff and then sent security guards to take them off ships, reports say

Grace Dean

Holidaymakers at Europe's busiest ferry port say they've queued for 6 hours to complete border checks because only 6 of the usual 12 passport booths are open

Kate Duffy

Cruise staff say Carnival UK threatened to get rid of 919 of them if they refuse to take pay cuts

Matthew Loh

The captain of a $50 million yacht owned by a Russian businessman said its detention was 'government overreach' and a 'publicity stunt'

Grace Dean

A British man is offering 'ghost ship' tours of abandoned cruise ships in the English Channel

Melissa Wiley