The passenger ship P&O Ferries, which was traveling between Scotland and Northern Ireland, was blocked in the Irish Sea for two hours on Tuesday after mechanical damage.
The European Causeway, which sails between Cairnryan and Larne, lost electricity before arriving in the port of Northern Ireland.
The ferry, which can carry up to 410 passengers and 53 crew members, left Kernrian at around 12.00 BST and was expected to reach Larn at around 14.00.
The Coast Guard was notified of mechanical damage to the ship around 1:30 p.m. A tugboat was sent to the ferry site, while the Royal National Rescue Boat Institute (RNLI) confirmed that it had sent three lifeboats to the scene.
The Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (MCA) said European Causeway had restored power and escorted to port. He docked at the port of Larne just before 4 pm, according to the Marinetraffic ship tracking website, nearly two hours after his planned arrival.
At the time of the incident, Johnny Wilson, a passenger who said he was on board the European Causeway, tweeted that the ferry was “stationery”. [sic] for more than an hour without power, about 30 minutes from Larn.
P&O Ferries said the ship had a “temporary mechanical problem” before continuing its “planned voyage to the port of Larne with its own propulsion”.
The company said there were no reports of casualties on board the ferry and that all competent authorities had been informed. A “full independent investigation” will be conducted at the port, the spokesman added.
As a result, the ship failed to complete its planned voyage back to Kernryan.
The ferry, which P&O said was specifically designed to serve the Cairnryan-Larne route, first became operational in 2000.
All P&O ferries stopped sailing after the mass dismissal of 800 workers in March.
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The European Causeway was prevented from reopening in March by the MCA, which detained it after an inspection revealed reported “failures in crew familiarization, ship documentation and crew training”.
The ferry was later re-inspected and allowed to sail on April 8.
Mike Lynch, secretary general of the Railway, Maritime and Transport Workers’ Union (RMT), said he had found reports that the European Causeway was drifting along the Larne coast, “deeply worrying, not least for the agency’s crew and passengers on board ‘.
“The list of crimes is already as long as your hand and the government need to intervene and protect the safety and jobs of ferries,” Lynch said, urging ministers to revoke P&O Ferries’ license to operate ships.
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