P&O ferry passengers stuck onboard for hours without leaving dock after powercut

15 February 2024 , 17:20

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Passengers on a P&O ferry were stuck for hours because of a powercut (Image: Donna Clifford/Hull Live)

Passengers on a ferry were stuck for hours because of a power cut.

The Pride of Hull ferry had people waiting to leave for more than five hours after it got to Hull's King George Dock. They thought they would get off at about 7.45am, but they didn't leave until about 1pm. Adele, who was on the ferry said: "We are stuck on the Pride of Hull ferry. Power outage at the terminal means we cannot disembark, we are getting complimentary drinks and cinemas have been opened on the ship."

Lesley, another person on the ferry, said: "Power out at King George Dock. No one can leave the ferry, terminal and freight unable to move." Stephen also shared: "We're on the ferry from Rotterdam and have been stuck for five hours. It's a farce."

Passengers were allowed into the Port of Hull terminal over five hours late today, following a power outage (Donna Clifford/Hull Live)

A man, who only wanted to be called A, talked about being full up on the ferry and hearing lots of moans. He told HullLive while still on the boat: "I'm not happy because I'm supposed to be at work at 2.30pm at Tesco in St Stephen's. I booked last minute and am in my work clothes, so I need to be able to get home, get in some clean clothes and then get to work."

A man from Bransholme had a tough time on his shopping trip to Amsterdam because he didn't get the meal deal and ended up eating just crisps. He shared: "They did offer us complimentary drinks but they were only little glasses." He also said, "When I realised I might not get back in time for work, I went to the customer relations office. I asked if they could write a note to prove what had happened but I was just given a customer service card and told to contact them; I thought, that's a bit rude."

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After passengers were allowed to depart, he added: "They took us down to the freight deck and drove us off in P&O buses."

Despite the trouble, he tried to stay positive, saying: "It's been really frustrating but you just have to deal with it. I'm still pleased I went. You have to separate the things that have happened this part, the waiting, has been frustrating but I don't regret going or anything."

The port's owners, Associated British Ports (ABP), confirmed it had some technical problems. A spokesperson said: "A fault was experienced early this morning with the main electrical substation at the Port of Hull. Following swift action by ABP's engineering team the electrical supply is now being restored.

"We will continue to monitor the supply as we reinstate circuits and will prioritise operational areas to ensure that we minimise any further disruption. We apologise to anyone affected for any inconvenience this issue has caused."

S P Jones