We regularly cross the Channel between England and France with our 2 dogs. It’s a bit of a hassle having to get to the ferry port earlier than non-pet-carrying passengers, and a bit more expensive paying for pet tickets too (especially as they get to stay in the car and don’t bother anyone), but overall we’re happier that they can come on holiday with us and so it isn’t a huge issue.
However, one thing we haven’t considered in the past is just how safe the dogs are on the car decks.
Nadine and I were watching the Brittany Ferries onboard safety video at the start of a recent crossing when she said to me… “What would happen to our dogs in the event of an emergency”?
Any evacuation procedure in place for pets?
Although we’d never thought about this before, I thought I already knew the answer… The car decks are locked and wouldn’t be opened in the event of an accident (for obvious reasons). In any event, pets are probably in more danger during the drive to and from the ferry port than on the ferry itself. However, as we pay to take pets on board, and as it would seem pretty terminal for them in the event of an accident at sea, I thought I would ask Brittany Ferries what their official policy was.
Actually – one of the great things about Brittany Ferries is that they constantly monitor their Twitter account and will respond if you Tweet a question referencing them. We’ve done this a few times in the past (e.g. when stuck waiting to get off a car ferry in France) showing how important it is for brands to monitor what people are saying about them on social media, and so I was pretty sure they would respond to a question about pet safety on ferries too.
Here’s what I asked…
Brittany Ferries replied almost immediately…
Interesting! So, I supplied them with my email address and a few days later received the following from them…
Thank you for getting in touch with Twitter and for enquiring about our emergency evacuation procedure.
The short answer is, currently there is no pet evacuation procedure included in our emergency evacuation procedure. In the event of an emergency, our priority would be with saving human life and we certainly wouldn’t put crew members lives at any more risk in order to rescue pets from the car deck.
Having said that, with the introduction of pet-friendly cabins on multiple routes where the animals are with the owners in the cabin for the entirety of the crossing, changing the procedure and adding something for our furry friends is something that we are currently looking into, along with life jackets that are suitable for dogs to wear.
It should also be said at this point that we have had an impeccable safety record for the 42 years we have been operation and, time after time, we pass random safety inspections (carried out by The Maritime & Coastguard Agency) with flying colours. This is a procedure which, of course, we hope that we will never have to revert to, and an awful situation to imagine, however, if it did, saving human lives would have to be our priority over pets.
I hope the above information has helped to clarify the matter, however, if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Totally understandable, and interesting that they are considering changing their procedure. I don’t know what the answer is, but suspect that there is one that hasn’t been thought of yet (we are sending photos back from Pluto after all and so I’m sure it’s not beyond the realms of human intelligence to find a good solution!). Pets on Cross-Channel Ferries offer a good, additional revenue for ferry companies, without adding terribly to their costs. I’m just wondering how much additional hysteria (and danger to passengers and crew) pet owners might generate in the event of an accident at sea when they try to get to their loved ones on the car deck!
Had any similar thoughts? Do you have any ideas about how or (or whether) this problem should be resolved? Please leave us a comment.
Hi Jane.
Thanks for the kind comment about the site. Unfortunately, although I suspect you have the right intentions, your comment looks too much like many of the spam ones we receive. I’m happy to approve this one, but would prefer something more concrete if you’d like to comment again. It looks like you travel to France (I’ve taken a look at your Frugal Queen site), so would be delighted to approve any comments you make that relate to the posts. Link building is a valuable SEO activity, and you’re much more likely to get comments approved if you write quite a bit, make it relevant, and interesting to the site’s readers.
Kind regards, Martin
It is not only during an emergency requiring evacuation that pets can be at risk. Ours were put on a ramp on a ferry last year – evening crossing but quite warm on deck. By the time we were able to check on them they were overheated and quite distressed. No harm done on that occasion. They are all young fit hunting type dogs but had we had our 18 year old who died the previous year I would not have given much for his chance of survival. Ferry company response to Twitter comments was to direct email and their final reply was that they were sorry the dogs were hot but they were not at risk and that there was no problem with what they were doing.We think otherwise so no longer spend our not inconsiderable sum of money on travel to our second home with Eurotunnel which , although in some respects is less convenient for us, provides a brilliant service for animals. There is an exercise area at both terminals, not just a car park with moving traffic and check in is easy. I also noted on an occasion when there was a televised evacuation of a Eurotunnel train, a family waiting with their yellow labrador for the relief train. I am reassured by that.
Thanks for this Martin. I am French and live in the UK and obviously travel back to France quite often. I sometimes fly back but if we need to take the car then we travel by Brittany Ferries to Saint Malo. It never crossed my mind either what would happen to pets if there was an emergency and I don’t know the answer to getting them off the ferry safely either!
We use Britanny Ferries and always have a pet-friendly cabin when we take our dog. The service works well and the crew are always helpful but I too have wondered what would happen should we need to evacuate the ship. I notice that your post was 2015 and I’d like to know whether they have “added something for our furry friends” yet. I posted a question on Facebook but just received the response that human life would be prioritised, which did not answer my question of whether my dog would come with me or whether they would expect me to leave him in the cabin to die.
I would not expect my dog to be put on a lifeboat if it meant a person being left onboard, but I can’t see any reason why that situation should arise since the company is aware well before sailing of how many pets are onboard in cabins and he is counted as a paying passenger. I’m happy to buy a life jacket for my dog rather than expecting one to be provided but I certainly would not be parted from him in an emergency and I believe that would be true of most dog owners so I think Britanny Ferries need to take that fact ‘onboard’.
I travel monthly on ferries with my four legged constant companion who in the 5 years since we met I have spent only one night apart from. He weighs six kilos and can ( although he hates it) be tucked under my arm or stuffed up my jumper if neccesary. Quite simply, in the case of an emergency I would not leave that boat without him and would risk no one’s Life but my own in doing so. We would take our chances together I’m afraid
Hello Pia, having read your comment, I had to smile: it feels like I could have written it myself! We have had our dogs for 6 years (sadly, one of them passed away last March), and the one we have left (which is the one in the picture above) also weighs 6 kilos. There is no way we would leave any ferry without taking our “boy”. Same as you, he never leaves our side, day or night, and I would rather risk my own life than leave him behind during an evacuation. Kind regards and thank you for your comment. Nadine