The European Causeway was sailing from Scotland to Northern Ireland when the incident occurred, causing it to spend hours adrift in the Irish Sea.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) told the BBC the vessel will have to stay docked until it is reviewed. The ship was also detained in March after it failed safety checks.
It left Cairnryan at around 12pm on Tuesday (26 April) and was due to arrive in Larne at 2pm, but got into trouble at 1.30pm.
P&O Ferries told the BBC the incident was caused by a "temporary mechanical issue" that had been resolved.
The MCA said there were no concerns for passengers’ safety at any point, adding: "When any vessel reports an issue to the MCA, dependent on the nature of the issue, the MCA may undertake an inspection of that vessel."
