The agency said the ship, the European Causeway, was held 'due to failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training'
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted:"Following my instruction to inspect all P&O vessels prior to entering back into service, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has detained a ship for being unfit to sail.
"I will not compromise the safety of these vessels and P&O will not be able to rush inexperienced crew through training."The European Causeway was built in 1999 and entered service in 2000, replacing the Pride of Rathlin, to transport passengers from Scotland to Northern Ireland. It was specifically commissioned for the route from Cairnryan - a village in Dumfries and Galloway, around 81 miles southwest of Glasgow – to Larne.She can carry more than 400 passengers, together with 53 crew members.The European Causeway had a makeover in 2013 as part of a £20m investment in P&O Irish Sea ships.
General secretary Mick Lynch said:"The seizing of the European Causeway by the MCA tonight shows that the gangster capitalist outfit P&O are not fit and proper to run a safe service after the jobs massacre. "This mob should be barred, their ships impounded and the sacked crews reinstated to get these crucial ferry routes back running safely."admitted the new crews are being paid below the UK's minimum wageMr Hebblethwaite said the average hourly pay of the new crew is only £5.50. The minimum wage in the UK for people aged 23 and above is £8.91 per hour.by failing to consult with unions and staff during evidence to a Parliamentary select committee.
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