Stena Line has banned pets from all passenger areas on their Irish Sea route while operating dog friendly cabins on an international route.
The ferry company’s policy that allows companion animals on board in secured pet carriers will end on October 31, and after that no dogs will be allowed on deck or in any passenger areas sailing between Northern Ireland and Cairnryan, Scotland.
But it leaves dog owners concerned for the safety and wellbeing of their pets with a dilemma:
- All dogs travelling Irish Sea routes must remain in vehicles or basic cage-style kennels on the car deck,
- No passengers are permitted to access the car deck during sailings, and
- Dogs left inside vehicles on uncovered car decks could be at risk of heatstroke.
Stena's decision has created a storm across social media with many threatening to cancel bookings and boycott the company, and an online petition has attracted thousands of signatures. Set up by Daniel Davison-Ward, it calls on Stena Line to include the Irish Sea routes in the dogs welcome approach evident across the rest of the company on other routes.
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The petition states: “Currently on Stena Line’s Irish Sea routes pets must travel either locked in a car or in a kennel located on the car deck. This can cause unnecessary stress and discomfort for the animals. Smaller pets are permitted in passenger areas as long as they remain in a locked pet carrier, although this is stopping soon.
“Stena Line have introduced pet friendly cabins on their Harwich - Hoek van Holland route, allowing pets to travel alongside their owners in the privacy, comfort and safety of a cabin.
“We ask Stena Line to provide pet friendly cabins or pet friendly areas on all vessels across their fleet to allow animal loving customers to be able to travel with their furry companions.
“We don’t even mind paying a premium or surcharge for the privilege, meaning more income for Stena Line and less stress for us and our dogs.”
Stena’s website still states that pets are welcome, but only during the booking process on the Irish routes, do customers find out their pets must go to a caged kennel on the car deck or remain in the vehicle during the sailing.
DogsLive understands Stena Line will honour bookings already made however the new policy comes into place from October 31 for bookings made after September 16.
Stena states: "Pets travel free in vehicles and in our kennels but must be pre-booked. From 1st November 2022 we will no longer permit pets to travel in pet carrier cases in the passenger areas on board. Please ensure you book a kennel for your pet or select if your pet will remain in your vehicle.”
Dog lover Maureen Hill says Stena Line’s policy on the Irish Sea crossings is discriminatory, leaving her feeling like a second class citizen.
She owns two Toy Poodles who travel with her on all trips, but now she is cancelling her upcoming booking to Scotland, saying Northern Ireland passengers are being discriminated against.
And she says lessons should be learned from an incident on December 18, 2018, when a P&O roll-on/roll-of passenger ferry, the European Causeway, rolled heavily in rough seas and high winds during its sailing from Larne to Cairnryan. The violent motion caused several freight vehicles to shift and nine to topple over leaving 22 vehicles, some of them cars, severely damaged.
Maureen said: “This was not a Stena Line ferry but that does not matter - the accident happened and I fear this sort of thing could happen again when human error is at play.
"Our concerns about the Stena Line decision are about the welfare of our pets, our pets are family members and Stena Line would do well to think about that.
"Why would any company asked a customer to leave a family member in a car on a car deck if it is deemed unsafe for anyone to access the car deck during the sailing?
"The images from a P&O sailing where vehicles were shunted and some crushed in stormy weather show why no living beings should be left in vehicles on any ferry. An investigation found the European Causeway rolled heavily in rough seas but its cargo had not been adequately secured. Things could have been done differently and no doubt lessons have been learned, but the fact is, it happened.
"But why would anyone be asked to leave a living being in the car on any ferry, if there is even a tiny risk of that sort of thing happening?
"And how can travellers ensure they're not placed on the outer car deck during sailings? We are repeatedly told not to leave dogs in hot cars because hot cars are a killer, yet with this new policy some people may find themselves in an impossible position with their dog expected to be left in a hot car on a hot day.
"We have often been directed to park on the open deck in Stena Super Fast where sun shines in summer and rain and waves lash in winter. This is area Stena Plus cars are parked. We would not dream of leaving our dog in the car there either. Stena Line cannot predict or guarantee the weather conditions and their passengers shouldn't be asked to either.
"We have been told that the new policy decision came about after some passengers lifted a dog out of a carrier and onto their laps during a sailing. Yet many of us have first hand experience of staff going out of their way to greet our pets during sailings.
"The news of the change of policy has left us devastated. We won’t be able to travel to England or Scotland again after November because our dogs come with us as family members and now they won't be able to. Shame on you Stena Line UKIE. Why would you do this?
“We were loyal Extra Gold members and travelled with our wee one many times all year, mostly on half empty ships during off-peak sailings.
“Is that how you treat loyal customers? On Stena Line Cruise, Harwich, UK you offer dog friendly cabins but not here. Why treat me like a second class citizen? Why treat Northern Ireland people less favourably than everyone else in the UK? That’s called discrimination.
“I am seeking a full investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority into this market sector -namely provision of ferry services on Irish Sea routes.
“Stena has introduced pet friendly cabins in GB ferries but banned dogs on routes [in passenger areas] from NI to GB. They are becoming less dog friendly on NI to GB routes and more dog friendly on GB to EU routes.
“It is simply unacceptable that people travelling on Irish Sea routes are being treated less favourably than passengers on all other routes within the UK. We will no longer tolerate being treated as second class citizens.”
For other passengers on all other Stena routes, different rules apply. In a Q&A section on their site, Stena states: “Can I bring my pet? Of course! Don’t leave your four-legged friend behind, they’re part of the family! Bring them along so that they can share the adventures and enjoy the fun.
"On Stena Line, pets are welcome and you can book your companion into a kennel (we advise that you pre-book to secure a kennel), take them on onboard (there are some rules around this) or keep them inside the car. Some of our ferries have pet friendly cabins that can be pre-booked too.”
Stena Line is now able to offer improved duty free shopping and dog-friendly cabins on its Harwich – Hoek van Holland route following a £1million refit programme across its two ferries on the route, Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica.
However for passengers sailing between Northern Ireland and Scotland, it is a different matter.
Stena Line were approached for comment. A company representing Stena Line say they have introduced a moratorium on all statements, announcements and comments until after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
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