Armed counter-terrorism officers to be deployed on British cross-Channel ferries

Move will tighten security on passenger vessels, which are unguarded and seen as vulnerable

Armed counter-terrorism officers will be deployed on British cross-Channel ferries for the first time this summer, though government sources said there was no specific threat to passenger vessels.

Firearms police from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) are to be posted on ferries out of Dover, as well as on passenger ships between Newcastle and the Netherlands.