The leading UK ferry operator P&O Ferries has sacked its crew across its entire fleet after stopping all its sailings.

Unions called it a “scandalous betrayal”, and said about 800 jobs at all grades had been axed with no notice, with P&O planning to use cheap agency staff to operate its ships.

The operator, owned by the Dubai-based DP World, earlier told crew to return to port and await a “major announcement” in a sudden move likely to cause serious disruption to travel for passengers and freight.

Unions predicted a potential standoff could develop, having instructed crew not to leave vessels, while coaches of replacement crew and security staff are already in place at Dover and Hull.

Just by way of a reminder, P&O Ferries took £4,394,000 in government subsidies during the height of the pandemic to keep those routes afloat.

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InfraStrata has announced that they have been awarded a contract by Saipem for the fabrication and load-out of eight wind turbine generator (WTG) jacket foundations for the EDF and ESB owned Neart na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm project located in the outer Firth of Forth in Scotland.

With work starting from July 1, 2021, Harland & Wolff will use its newly acquired Methil facilities for the fabrication work, creating around 290 direct and indirect Scottish jobs. Additional support may be provided as required by the company’s other facilities in Arnish, Appledore and Belfast with Saipem’s consent and should the need arise.

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