P&O spends £230m on hybrid ships that cannot be charged at Dover
P&O Ferries risks being left red-faced after spending £230m on two new hybrid ships that cannot be plugged into the electricity grid in Dover or Calais.
Lauded by bosses at the controversial ferry operator as “the most sustainable ships ever to sail on the English Channel”, P&O will run the battery-laden ships on diesel when they are delivered later this year.
P&O sparked controversy last year after standing by plans to take delivery of two state-of-the-art “superferries” despite its shock firing of nearly 800 seafarers in an effort to cut costs.
Built by Guangzhou shipyard in China, P&O claimed the ships would cut diesel use by 40pc “through a combination of fuel and battery propulsion” when announcing the order in 2020.
“The ship is designed with the capacity to be carbon neutral in the future on the twin assumptions that there are more electric shore charging stations in ports and batteries,” the company said.
But The Daily Telegraph has been told that P&O has not consulted with authorities in Dover or Calais over charging points, sparking confusion among senior port officials. Dover, for instance, does not have the network capacity to recharge the ferry batteries and meet its other electricity needs, they added.
One said: “You just don’t order ships without consulting with the port.”
Sources close to P&O insisted that it had “engaged at length with both ports about the electricity requirements for our new ships”.
Named Pioneer and Liberte, the two ships will replace P&O’S older fleet and are double-headed, saving time when
loading and unloading by virtue of not having to turn around in port.
The prospect of more efficient sailings has led to industry speculation that P&O is preparing to announce a fresh wave of job cuts. However, the company said it is “categorically false” to suggest that the new ships would lead to any redundancies.
P&O also insisted that towing onboard electric batteries across the English Channel would not result in a larger carbon footprint.
Despite earlier carbon-neutral claims, a spokesman for P&O said: “In light of current shore power capacity, our new hybrid ships were never designed to operate on a complete zero emission basis and be ‘charged up’ inport.” P&O sparked nationwide outrage a year ago by sacking hundreds of seafarers – some via video message – and replacing them with cheaper overseas agency crews.
It has recently launched the next phase of its restructuring plan by offloading services on Irish Sea routes through an operational sharing agreement with Danish rival DFDS.
A P&O spokesman said: “It is categorically false to suggest that any part of our business is for sale and no meetings have been called in relation to such. We are 100pc focused on making P&O Ferries the best ferry company in Europe, with the best ships on the best routes.”