More departures may be DFDS’ answer to P&O Ferries’ sudden halt of sailings on the English Channel for up to ten days. Despite political turmoil for P&O, DFDS continues its cooperation with the DP World-owned carrier, which Thursday sacked 800 employees.
Photo: Peter /Ritzau Scanpix
DFDS expects to have the capacity to bring in passengers and freight from competitor P&O Ferries, although P&O Thursday announced that it may be ten days before the ferry operator can resume sailings on its ferry routes on the English Channel, among other places.
Thursday, P&O suspended sailings without prior notice and carried through a mass sacking of 800 employees, which, according to the carrier, will be replaced by a cheaper workforce in the form of agency workers.
According to British media, P&O has informed the UK government that it may take a week to ten days for the company to hire new staff. Until that’s in place, P&O ferries cannot sail, however, DFDS expects to be able to handle the extra pressure, the carrier states.
Currently, we are able to deal with the extra traffic provided by P&O’s halt of sailings on the Channel
DFDS
”Currently, we are able to deal with the extra traffic provided by P&O’s halt of sailings on the Channel. We monitor the situation closely and consistently evaluate what we can do – for instance, the possibility of extra ferry departures,” writes DFDS’ press team to WPO.
DFDS has no plans to move extra ferries onto the routes on the English Channel, where the carrier is both a competitor and collaborator of P&O’s.
Political turmoil
P&O and its owner, Dubai-based port company DP World, have ended up in a severe political storm in the UK as a consequence of the sudden mass layoffs of 800 employees set to be replaced by cheaper alternatives before sailings continue.
P&O has defended itself by referring to a loss of roughly GBP 100m last year, and that the situation is unsustainable, but British politicians from both ends of the political spectrum have sharply criticized the mass sacking, which, among other things, was carried through via the help from former British special forces, hired to get unwilling employees ashore.
However, the political turmoil will apparently not have any consequences for P&O’s cooperation with DFDS.
”We have a space-charter agreement, meaning that P&O’s customers can sail with us to the extent that the extra capacity allows, and we respect the contractual obligations,” writes DFDS’ press team.
”Our focus right now is to ensure that our employees can continue their work and service our customers. Our colleagues have made a great effort to ensure that the DFDS traffic on the Channel continues, and for that, they have our full gratitude.”
Several British politicians have, according to British media, urged the government to prevent the mass sacking. Overall, the carrier had 4,000 employees prior to Thursday’s layoffs.
English edit: Kristoffer Grønbæk
