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13 Ferry Crewmembers Fail Drug Test

pride
The Pride of Canterbury arriving in Dover (2013 file image courtesy Roel Hemkes)

Published Dec 13, 2016 11:23 PM by The Maritime Executive

[Brief] 13 crewmembers on the cross-Channel car ferry Pride of Canterbury tested "non-negative" for drugs in an under-way test, UK media reported Tuesday. 

In a statement, a spokesman for P&O Ferries said that “13 individuals on the Pride of Canterbury recorded non-negative tests, which have now been sent for further analysis. Urine tests were carried out on Thursday during a number of crossings between Dover and Calais over a four hour period. No substances were found but Port of Dover Police have been routinely informed.”

He added that P&O has a "zero tolerance policy towards substance abuse and any employees not complying with it will be dismissed."

The statement did not indicate which substance(s) may have been found in samples or whether the 13 individuals’ test outcomes were in any way related.

The crewmembers who failed the tests have been suspended from their duties. While P&O declined to discuss the individuals' roles on board, the firm informed the Daily Mail that they were not officers.