P&O Ferries is reportedly making 800 staff redundant, including seafarers on its Liverpool to Dublin route.

On Thursday morning the company paused all of its services on Thursday, including sailings between Liverpool and Dublin and Dover and Calais, “in preparation for a company announcement”.

In a statement, the P&O Ferries insisted it was not going into liquidation but ordered all of its ferries to remain in port. Today it was scheduled to operate three sailings between Liverpool and Dublin and 14 between Dover and Calais.

P&O has yet to make an official announcement but multiple media outlets are reporting the form has laid off 800 staff, including hundreds of seafarers.

As of late Thursday morning two of its Liverpool to Dublin vessels, Norbay and Norbank, were moored in Gladstone Dock in the Port of Liverpool. A third ship, Stena Forecaster, is already in the Irish Sea and is due to dock at Liverpool in the next few hours.

A P&O Ferries spokesperson said: “P&O Ferries is not going into liquidation. We have asked all ships to come alongside, in preparation for a company announcement. Until then, services from P&O will not be running and we are advising travellers of alternative arrangements.”

It adds that it has the backing of Dubai-based DP World, which bought the ferry company for £322m in 2019.

The RMT union represents hundreds of UK seafarers. It’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “We have instructed our members to remain onboard and are demanding our members across P&O’s UK operations are protected and that the secretary of state intervenes to save UK seafarers from the dole queue.”

And another maritime union Nautilus International said the news was “a betrayal of British workers”. General secretary Mark Dickinson added: “It is nothing short of scandalous given that this Dubai owned company received British taxpayer’s money during the pandemic.

“There was no consultation and no notice given by P&O. Be assured the full resources of Nautilus International stand ready to act in defence of our members. We have instructed our members to stay onboard until further notice.”