The Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon MLA, has expressed her concern at the actions by P&O Ferries and the impact locally.
The Minister said: “I was shocked to hear the news from P&O Ferries this morning and my thoughts are with those staff working for P&O who have lost their jobs and also with those whose travel has been disrupted.
“This is a developing situation and officials are working on a cross-departmental basis to assess any local impacts, especially for supply chains, and are keeping in close contact with their counterparts in the Department of Transport in London.
“With the Economy Minister I am calling on the Secretary of State for Transport to take every possible step to save jobs and to maintain connectivity for passengers and freight on Irish Sea routes.”