A ferry carrying food and medical supplies between the UK and Ireland remains stranded in Liverpool this morning.

The P&O ferry has been unable to sail for Dublin since Thursday amid a row over outstanding fees.

It is believed two ferries operated by the company are stranded in Dublin and talks between P&O and Dublin Port authorities took place yesterday.

The owners of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, which runs the Port of Liverpool, has said the company owes it over €600,000.

In a statement, P&O Ferries said the port owner made a “sudden demand” for the payment and said it believes it owes “much less than this amount.”

A P&O spokesman said the port authority “unnecessarily escalated matters without any reasonable warning or proper procedure.”

“We have been in open discussions since this crisis began with all of our ports and network to ensure that we can manage payments while everyone deals with this unprecedented situation.

“We had asked for flexibility in the time required to pay but the Liverpool port refused to respond, even though we were committing to full payment.

“Then we learned that our point of contact had been furloughed and they didn’t tell us.

“The irresponsible and unnecessary actions of The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company Limited at a time of national crisis have closed an essential Liverpool-Dublin supply route, which means vital goods will not be able to flow between the UK, Ireland and Europe.”

The company said the ferry at the Port of Liverpool is carrying food, medicine and other supplies between the UK and Ireland.

Peel Ports said the ship was detained as a “last resort” and insisted that the decision was taken because there is a “significant debt to repay.”