Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System is expected to reduce P&O Ferries’ overall drug testing costs by 90%

• Easy-to-use, hygienic fingerprint sweat test improves the testing experience for P&O Ferries employees from previous urine method

Leading pan-European ferry and logistics company, P&O Ferries, is now using the revolutionary portable Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System to support its drug and alcohol testing policy. 

P&O previously used an external drug testing service provider to conduct random urine testing of seafaring staff on board its ferries. The testing process typically required multiple cabins with toilet facilities, HR support, external testers and a series of two-hour testing sessions across multiple voyages to conduct testing. This approach proved expensive and inflexible. Switching to an in-house program using the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System is expected to reduce P&O Ferries’ overall drug testing costs by 90%. 

“When we first saw fingerprint sweat-based drug screening in action, we knew it would be a great fit for P&O Ferries and our need for a flexible system that we could use on board our ferries,” explained Grant Laversuch, Head of Safety & Designated Person Ashore at P&O Ferries. “This has proved to be the case, with the portable and non-invasive Intelligent Fingerprinting system giving us the ability to test on our ferries as needed. Having rolled out the innovative fingerprint solution to our ferries, we’re now looking at training additional HR team members so that we can extend the program to our employees onshore. 

P&O Ferries will deploy the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System at its three UK ferry port sites at Larne in Northern Ireland, as well as Hull and Dover in England. The Company’s portable DSR-Plus readers and screening cartridges will be used to randomly test seafaring staff on board ferries in line with the company’s drug and alcohol policy.

“The ease-of-use and portability of our Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System makes it a powerful solution for random workplace testing across different locations. P&O Ferries’ deployment of fingerprint testing on its ferries demonstrates the system’s flexibility. It’s great that we’re not only helping the company maintain a safe and efficient work environment, but also equipping it with a more cost-effective method of testing,” added Harry Simeonidis, President and Chief Executive Officer at Intelligent Bio Solutions. 

An introductory video demonstrating fingerprint-based drug testing in action is available here.