Irish Ferries says it hopes to receive permission today to resume sailings of the MV Normandy to France immediately after Christmas.
The ship has been detained at Rosslare Harbour by the Department of the Marine since Wednesday, when inspectors discovered safety defects during a routine inspection.
About 130 passengers who were due to sail from the French port of Cherbourg to Rosslare last night have been accommodated on alternative services via Britain.
A company spokesman said they would arrive in Ireland on schedule.
An independent safety audit of the vessel was yesterday carried out by the shipping certification company, Germanischer Lloyd.
Irish Ferries said it hoped, following completion of that exercise, to be in a position to invite Department of the Marine surveyors to re-inspect the ship today. Provided they gave the all-clear, the ship could resume sailings on December 27th as planned, the company spokesman said.
The Normandy is due to make three more round trips between Ireland and France before it is taken out of service for the off-peak winter season. It is to resume sailings in March.
Inspectors from the department's marine survey office found deficiencies relating to fire-fighting measures, safety management and crew safety training when they boarded the vessel on Wednesday.
Five safety inspections have been carried out on the ship this year by authorities from Ireland, France or Britain, more than in the previous five years combined.
Irish Ferries replaced the mainly Irish crew on the vessel last winter with agency workers from abroad on lower rates of pay, and re-registered the ship to the Bahamas.
