Disruption to Britain’s transport links after P&O Ferries was ordered to confine its ships to port on safety grounds has been negative for the whole sector, according to one of the UK firm’s main rivals.
The freeze on sailings after P&O fired experienced crew to replace them with lower-paid staff threatens to undermine 30 years of progress in improving the image of ferries through advances in safety, reliability and emissions, Stena Rederi AB Chief Executive Officer Carl-Johan Hagman said in an interview.
“I don’t think it’s been good for anybody, frankly,” Hagman said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “We have a better environmental footprint and better predictability and punctuality, then we get these disruptions. We would like our ferries to be seen like a tunnel or a bridge in terms of reliability.”
P&O CEO Peter Hebblethwaite separately defended the dismissal of almost 800 seafarers in a BBC interview, saying that while “difficult” and “unpleasant,” the move should be seen as part of a wider revamp. He rejected the notion that P&O’s reputation has been hurt and said bookings are “really encouraging.”
The outcry over P&O’s actions in March continues to reverberate, with UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urging people to favor other ferry firms or take the plane or train. Speaking in a Bloomberg interview last week, he said P&O is under investigation for civil and criminal actions and pledged to force it into a u-turn through steps...
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