to be in a stand-off.

There will be no services at all today as around 90 Marine and Ports staff stay away from work for a second day. Extra buses have been laid on for passengers who normally ride the waterways.

Ferry workers, pilot and tender crews, tug workers and other workers walked out yesterday after the completion of the early commuter runs into Hamilton.

For the rest of the day some workers staged "sit ins'' on-board some of the ferries.

The Horizon cruise ship moved from Dockyard to Hamilton with a pilot on-board, but without a tug. And at ferry terminals tourists and residents found notices proclaiming "no ferries until further notice''.

Marine and Ports director Ron Ross said talks are on-going and he was hopeful of a solution in the next few days.

He said: "There is no resolution at this time and we don't know what will happen. It does create alot of problems but we are doing the best we can.'' But Bermuda Industrial Union president, Derrick Burgess, said there had been no talks yesterday between the union and Marine and Ports. But he said they had spoken with Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Maxwell Burgess.

"It is not settled yet. We are prepared to meet and get it sorted out,'' he said, adding that Marine and Ports "knew where to contact them''.

The dispute surrounds tug pilot Kenneth Todd, who returned to work today after an abscence of a year following the saga of the Xing Da sinking.

The BIU was aware of Mr. Todd's return to work and members held a meeting earlier in the week. It is understood the outcome was a decision to walk-out yesterday but Mr. Burgess refused to comment on what his advice to the men was.

Mr. Ross said BIU Marine and Ports members didn't want to work with Mr. Todd, even though he had been reinstated in accordance with an arbitration decision.

Strike grounds ferries it,'' he said.

Kenneth Todd was piloting the tug which was towing the Xing Da , a Chinese freighter caught taking illegal immigrants to North America, to its final resting place.

It led to a confrontation between the vessel and fishermen, who were concerned about the damage the Xing Da could do at Eastern Blue Cut and formed a picket line, off Dockyard, last May.

Mr. Todd stopped working soon after the incident and after a several month cooling-off period, the issue went to arbitration. Months later the decision came through, ordering Mr. Todd to return to work.

Another worker, Odwin Berkeley, was also involved in the dispute and was off work for six months.

But Derrick Burgess said although the Xing Da was a factor in the dispute, the main aspect was a grievance between Mr. Todd and his crew, which he was to do with "respect''.

He said the matter was never resolved at mediation and subsequently the men walked off the job yesterday.

Mr. Burgess said the stoppage could have been avoided if Mr. Todd had not returned to his previous vessel, but had still remained at work.

Mr. Burgess said he couldn't comment on whether other sections of the BIU would join the action.