Former P&O Ferries chief set sail with £622,000 pay package

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The erstwhile P&O Ferries main erstwhile described arsenic "Britain's astir hated boss" saw his wage descent successful his last afloat twelvemonth successful the occupation - but inactive earned much than £600,000.

Sky News tin uncover that Peter Hebblethwaite was paid £622,000 successful 2024, down from £683,000 the twelvemonth before.

The fig is contained successful accounts for P&O Ferries Division Holdings, which were published by Companies House connected Wednesday.

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In a statement, a spokesperson for P&O Ferries said: "Our 2024 results amusement that our translation is delivering.

"Despite challenges successful the freight marketplace and the semipermanent interaction of Brexit connected the sector, our fiscal presumption has continued to improve, lawsuit restitution is rising, and our state-of-the-art hybrid vessels connected the Channel are delivering important reductions successful c emissions.

"The concern is focused connected delivering a reliable and market-leading work to our customers and is well-positioned to proceed its betterment to sustainable semipermanent growth."

The institution declined to remark connected Mr Hebblethwaite's wage package.

Sky News revealed past autumn that P&O Ferries had hired erstwhile DFDS enforcement Kasper Moos arsenic his successor.

 PA

Image: P&O Ferries is owned by DP World. Pic: PA

Mr Hebblethwaite's scandal-hit tenure saw him sack hundreds of seafarers and regenerate them with cheaper bureau unit successful a determination which sparked fury successful 2022 and catapulted him into the ranks of Britain's astir notorious firm figures astir 4 years ago.

P&O Ferries - a subsidiary of the elephantine Dubai-based ports relation DP World - said it was sacking 800 staff with contiguous effect - immoderate of whom learned their destiny via a video message.

The policy, which Mr Hebblethwaite defended to MPs during consequent prime committee hearings, erupted into a nationalist scandal, prompting changes successful the instrumentality to springiness workers greater protection.

Mr Hebblethwaite had argued that the institution would person gone bust without the drastic cost-cutting that it entailed.

P&O Ferries carries 4.5 cardinal passengers annually connected routes betwixt the UK and continental European ports including Calais and Rotterdam.

It besides operates a way betwixt Northern Ireland and Scotland, and is simply a large freight carrier.

The company's losses soared during the pandemic, with DP World - its sole shareholder - supporting it done hundreds of millions of pounds successful loans.

Its astir caller accounts amusement a flimsy escalation successful losses successful 2024.

In October 2024, the past transport secretary, Louise Haigh, said: "The wide sacking by P&O Ferries was a nationalist ungraded which tin ne'er beryllium allowed to hap again," adding that measures to support seafarers from "rogue employers" would forestall a repetition.

The minister's statement of P&O Ferries arsenic "rogue", and proposition that consumers should boycott the company, sparked a enactment which threatened to overshadow the government's International Investment Summit past October.

Sky News's concern and economics correspondent, Paul Kelso, revealed that DP World had withdrawn from participating successful the event, and paused a £1bn concern announcement.

The institution relented aft Sir Keir Starmer publically distanced the authorities from Ms Haigh's characterisation of DP World.

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