P&O: Pride of Hull ferry in Rotterdam after staff replaced

Crew of The Pride of Hull staged a five-hour protest after workers were sacked on a video call

The P&O Pride of Hull ferry has sailed to Rotterdam for the first time since the sacking of the ship's 82 staff.

It left the Port of Hull on Wednesday night after an inspection to ensure agency staff brought in to replace sacked workers could operate it safely.

Earlier, P&O Ferries' boss admitted that a decision to sack staff without union consultation broke the law.

Many of the company's workers were told they were being made redundant on 17 March via a video message.

Addressing a committee of MPs, P&O Ferries chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite apologised for the distress caused by the cuts, but added they were necessary to save the business which has been loss-making.

It is understood the Pride of Hull, which is now berthed in Rotterdam, did not carry any passengers or freight on the crossing.

The sailing follows Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyors carrying out an inspection on the vessel to make sure it could comply with emergency procedures including firefighting and evacuation.

P&O has told passengers its services between Hull and Rotterdam are cancelled, adding: "If your journey is not essential, please do not travel today.

"We apologise for the inconvenience and for the late notice. Those with essential travel needs will be guided by our port teams."

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union claimed replacement staff were being paid less than £2 an hour.

Mr Hebblethwaite said the average hourly rate of pay for new P&O crew members would be £5.15 per hour, which is below the UK minimum wage. However, it is in line with international maritime standards.

The company is one of the UK's leading ferry operators, carrying more than 10 million passengers a year before the pandemic and about 15% of all freight cargo in and out of the UK.

P&O is owned by DP World, the multi-national ports and logistics company based in Dubai. It paid a £270m dividend to shareholders in 2020.