P&O Ferries vessel fails safety check for second time and remains detained in Port of Dover

Workers can be seen onboard the P&O Pride of Kent on Wednesday 13 April. Credit: PA

P&O vessel, The Pride of Kent, has failed an inspection by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for a second time today (Wednesday 13 April).

P&O Ferries asked the MCA to reassess its Pride of Kent vessel, after the ship was detained for a first time on March 28.

The Pride of Kent has been stuck in the Port of Dover since the company sacked 800 of its staff on March 17.

P&O had previously hoped to resume sailings on the Dover-Calais route this week with the Pride of Kent and the Spirit of Britain.

However, both ships failed inspections by the MCA after a 'number of deficiencies' were found.

In the latest inspection the MCA said it 'found a number of additional deficiencies including in safety systems and crew documentation'.

The suspension of P&O services has caused a shortage of capacity on the key route between Dover and France, which has contributed to large queues of lorries on roads approaching the port.

A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said:   

“The Pride of Kent will remain detained following the reinspection of the ferry today which found a number of additional deficiencies including in safety systems and crew documentation.

We have advised P&O to invite us back once they have addressed the issues.  We do not know yet when this will be.”

P&O Ferries sacks 800 staff and replaces them with agency workers
P&O ferry detained after inspection found 'number of deficiencies'

In a previous statement ahead of the inspection the MCA had said:

"All inspections have to satisfy the Maritime and Coastguard Agency that the ferries fulfil the requirement of the Port State Control regime and are safe to put to sea.

Both vessels will not be able to return until the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is satisfied that the ferries "fulfil the requirement of the Port State Control regime and are safe to put to sea."

P&O Ferries has accused the MCA of carrying out inspections with "an unprecedented level of rigour".

In response, the agency said it works "in exactly the same robust way" for every ship.

It previously cleared P&O Ferries' Pride of Hull and European Causeway vessels, which are operating on the Hull-Rotterdam and Larne-Cairnryan routes respectively.