Irish Ferries vessel diverted from Rosslare

The Irish Ferries vessel, MV Normandy, has been diverted from Rosslare, and is now due to dock in Dublin.

SIPTU said its members would let the MV Normandy dock in Dublin for humanitarian reasons, to allow the passengers to disembark.

But the spokesman for Irish Ferries said they were angry at the union’s statement, as the company had negotiated the diversion to the capital with Dublin Port authorities and the ferry would be tied up by the firm’s workers at its own berth.

"SIPTU’s actions suggested it valued the welfare of its members above that of the Eastern European crew onboard the ship, one of whom was injured and could have received treatment hours earlier if the vessel had been allowed to dock in Rosslare," he said.

However, International Transport Federation inspector at Rosslare port, Tony Ayton, said that the correct procedure in the case of an injury requiring urgent medical attention is to call the Coastguard for an airlift because of the lengthy docking procedure.

Earlier, the company confirmed that it will attend exploratory talks at the Labour Relations Commission tomorrow in a bid to find a solution to the row, which has disrupted weekend ferry services.

A spokesperson said that both sides have been invited back to see if any basis can be found to become involved in further talks.