P&O Ferries fallout leads to chaos at the ports as drivers are stopped from getting aid to Ukrainian refugees and stranded lorries are stuck in tense stand-off with sacked crew members
Chaos erupted at UK ports today with aid prevented from reaching Ukrainians and lorry drivers left waiting for hours after P&O Ferries' shock decision to suspend all its services 'for days' and replace 800 employees with cheap agency staff.
As well as running passenger services, the company is a major freight carrier on the crucial Dover to Calais route. This handles a third of the goods trade between Britain and the EU, including large amounts of perishable food.A lorry driver trying to enter the port began shouting and beeping at those in the road, before being told 'We're not moving'. Another driver, Richard Gamby, said: 'I understand what they're doing but I want to get home - I've been up since four.'
P&O Ferries is owned by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World. The CEO of DP World is Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem - whose firm reported a $896million (£683) profit last year and soaring revenues.
Awkwardly for the government, DP World also owns Thames Freeport - one of eight of Boris Johnson's flagship 'Freeports' that are being established around the UK.
It came as Ukraine well-wisher Stuart Davison, 53, from Selby, was left at least £800 out of pocket after hearing his P&O ferry he was taking from Hull to Rotterdam had been cancelled.
P&O Cruises - which is part of Carnival Corporation & PLC - is unrelated to P&O Ferries and not affected by today's announcement.
The unexpected news has caused chaos for tourists and freight businesses, with huge crews of lorries seen queuing at Dover
A queue of lorries outside Dover this morning. P&O Ferries operates four routes: Dover to Calais; Hull to Rotterdam; Liverpool to Dublin; and Cairnryan, Scotland, to Larne, Northern Ireland
P&O Ferries is the UK's leading ferry firm, transporting both passengers and freight
He and a friend were planning to travel onwards to the Ukrainian border with a van full of food, sanitary products, medical supplies and clothing, but have been forced to look for an alternative route.
'We have lost £800 and that's coming out of our own pockets and now we're going to have to pay for the Eurotunnel or whatever we use. It's a nightmare. The thing is everybody is doing the same thing and now there are huge queues to get on.'
P&O Ferries has urged people with tickets to arrive as booked and said they will find 'an alternative carrier as quickly as possible', but Mr Davison said he didn't want to take his chances. Consumer experts have said customers can request a refund.
Ukraine well-wisher Stuart Davison, 53, from Selby, was left at least £800 out of pocket after hearing his P&O ferry he was taking from Hull to Rotterdam had been cancelled
There has also been disruption in Calais, where a driver due to return to the UK was left waiting hours to catch another ferry.
'More than anything I'm frustrated at the fact nobody from P&O was there to help and advise ... I've never had such shoddy service from anybody,' he said.
The driver, who wished to remain nameless, said he had been able to rebook with DFDS, saying: 'I've had to exit the port and go through the entire process again, not to mention paying for another ticket at a higher price with them.
'I would have appreciated somebody at least telling us what to do.'
P&O Ferries operates four routes: Dover to Calais; Hull to Rotterdam; Liverpool to Dublin; and Cairnryan, Scotland, to Larne, Northern Ireland. Sailings between Hull and Zeebrugge, Belgium, were axed in January 2021.
The firm carried 10million passengers a year before the pandemic and about 15% of all freight cargo in and out of the UK.
It suspended all sailings this morning before telling its employees they had been made redundant 'with immediate effect' on a four-minute Zoom call at 10.30am - prompting many to block the streets of Dover in protest. 
P&O Ferries workers who have just been sacked are pictured leaving the Port of Dover with their personal belongings and bags containing large white envelopes
Former P&O Ferries staff and RMT members block the A20 leading to the Port of Dover as P&O Ferries suspended sailings and handed 800 seafarers immediate severance notices on ThursdayThere has been widespread anger at P&O Ferries' decision to cancel its services without any warning.
A spokesman for the Road Haulage Association said: 'Many of our international members have been in touch asking for the latest info from Dover. We understand that they will be redirected to other providers, including The Shuttle.
'We consider P&O's action, made with no warning whatsoever, to be both frustrating and irresponsible. There appears to be little consideration for customer care.'
Anton Gunter, managing director of Telford-based Global Freight Services, said the news was another major blow to UK exporters and the travel industry.
He said: 'The decision by P&O Ferries to cancel all its services will cause major delays for businesses and the impact will be felt very swiftly.
'As one of the largest carriers of freight and passengers between the UK and Europe, it's another major blow for businesses who were just getting back on track after the knock-on-effects from Covid and Brexit.' 
Three P&O ferries, Spirit of Britain, Pride of Canterbury and Pride of Kent moor up in the cruise terminal at the Port of Dover in Kent after the company suspended sailings
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