Officials from the Department of the Marine will tomorrow carry out a safety audit on an Irish Ferries ship - detained at Rosslare Harbour last night.
by inspectors from the Department of the Marine.
About 700 passengers who had been due to sail to the French port of Cherbourg on the MV Normandywere accommodated on alternative services via Britain.
Earlier a department spokesman said the ship had been detained after surveyors uncovered three safety deficiencies during a routine inspection.
The deficiencies related to fire-fighting measures, safety management and crew safety training. It was up to the company to correct the defects and then seek a reinspection, he said.
An Irish Ferries spokesman said the ship had been due to undertake its last round-trip to France last night before the Christmas holiday. At least 130 passengers had been due to depart Cherbourg on the return sailing to Ireland tonight. They are to be accommodated on alternative services via Britain.
The company spokesman said a technical fault was being repaired yesterday when inspectors boarded the vessel and decided to seek a full, independent safety audit.
That would be carried out today by the shipping certification company, Germanischer Lloyd.
The department said its inspection was a random one and about 1,400 such checks are carried out by its marine survey office each year.