P&O Ferries names new chief executive after turbulent period

Moos takes over the CEO position from Peter Hebblethwaite, who announced his resignation in August, citing a desire to dedicate more time to family matters.

During his tenure, Hebblethwaite steered the company through the pandemic, oversaw financial restructuring, and introduced the world’s first large double-ended hybrid ferries on the Dover-Calais route.

Nevertheless, Hebblethwaite’s period at the helm of P&O Ferries will be remembered less for innovation and more for the 2022 mass redundancy of some 800 British seafarers, some of whom were dismissed via pre-recorded video messages.

The incident sparked national outrage, with reports of crew members being forcibly removed from ships and their belongings placed in bin bags. The decision to replace them with cheaper agency staff, without consultation, led to widespread condemnation from unions, politicians and the public alike.

The controversial move earned Hebblethwaite the nickname “Britain’s most hated boss” from the RMT union and triggered ongoing investigations by the UK Insolvency Service.

P&O Ferries operates 11 ro-pax and ro-ro cargo ships from UK ports to Belgium, France, Ireland and the Netherlands. The company has axed several services, and sold several ships, in the past decade as the company appears to have struggled against competitors.