On 17 March, whispers started making their way along the travel grapevine. Something big was happening with P&O Ferries: ships were being told to return to port and remain there; sailings were being quietly cancelled; rumours were circulating that the company had requested the services of security firms in anticipation that things could get ugly.
And then, the big reveal: nearly 800 seafaring staff were being let go with immediate effect, a fact they learnt over a pre-recorded video message from management.
