Do ferry carry cars?
Please drive on and off the ferry slowly. Vehicles should not exceed 3 mph. Follow the directions of the ferry deckhand while driving on and off the ferry. No dogs may exit vehicles and be on the deck, except seeing-eye dogs.
A ferry is a watercraft that carries passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water taxi or water bus.
The largest vessel can accommodate 200 cars and 2,500 passengers while the smallest ferry can carry 34 cars and 200 passengers.
A member of port staff will let you know when it's your turn to board and you'll be directed onto the ferry. When you drive on, the crew will direct you to a parking space on deck – you may be asked to park on the lower or upper deck, or on a 'mezzanine' deck.
Ferries can range from small boats carrying passengers across a harbour, lake or river, to large sea-going ships carrying passengers, cars, trucks and other heavy cargo across longer distances where overnight sleeping accommodations are required.
No. For safety reasons all passengers must leave their vehicles and make their way to the lounges or open decks.
You're welcome to choose one of our vehicle ferry routes, too. Both our Lymington – Yarmouth route and our Portsmouth – Fishbourne route take foot passengers but sailing times are slightly longer.
Hy-Line's fast ferries can go at speeds of up to 34mph, which if you're talking in proper seafaring terminology is 30 knots an hour (1 knot = 1.151 mph)!
Car carriers are a type of RoRo ships - which means Roll-On, Roll-Off, as this is how their cargo is loaded and unloaded. The ships that carry only cars are known as Pure Car Carriers (PCC), whilst the vessels that carry various types of four-wheeled cargo are known as Pure Car Truck Carriers (PCTC).
Size & Ship Design
Generally speaking, ferries are much smaller than cruise ships and you'll often find that they have a different design. The design of ferry does vary dramatically, some will be flat and lower to the river/ocean and others will look more similar to ocean cruise ships.
What can you not take on a ferry?
- Kilt pins.
- Axes & Hatches.
- Arrows & Darts.
- Crampons (grappling iron, hooked bar of iron, or plate with iron spikes used in mountaineering)
- Harpoons & Spears.
- Ice axes & ice picks.
- Ice skates.
A boat that carries cars is called a roll-on/roll-off ship, or RORO ship for short. The name comes from the way wheeled cargo is rolled on and off the ships. RORO ships are usually built to be ferries, which carry people and cars, or pure car carriers (PCCs), which are cargo ships built to transport cars.

The simple answer is: they are generally very safe. In fact, ferries are normally considered one of the safest means to travel in Europe.
Ferry carries people who want to go from one bank to another bank of a river. It can also carry pets, vehicles and heavy luggage.
Remaining in a vehicle on an enclosed vehicle deck while a ferry is operating is not safe for passengers. The effects of a fire, flooding or collision could be catastrophic.
LEAVING THE CAR DECKS
Remember to take your essentials with you as you are not permitted to return to the car deck during the sailing.
Alcohol cannot be brought onboard for consumption. A great selection of alcoholic drinks can be purchased in our outlets onboard. You can, of course, travel with alcholic beverages in your luggage or vehicle.
A ferry will get you to your destination for a cheaper price. A flight will get you to your next stop with a shorter travel time. Both ferry and flight have a bit of a disorganized boarding process. I personally preferred taking the ferry because of the cheap ticket price, ease of port access, and views from the deck.
On average, disembarkation is complete within 30 minutes, but this can take longer.
In general, however, most ferry crossings require a valid passport or other recognized travel documents, such as a visa or identity card, especially for non-citizens. For citizens of the European Union and the Schengen area, an ID card may suffice for travel within the region.
What is the longest car ferry trip?
The Bellingham-Ketchikan ferry route is the longest ferry ride in the USA. It is over 2,200 miles long and takes 38 hours to complete. It is operated by the Alaskan Marine Highway System and connects the cities of Bellingham, WA and Ketchikan, a city located on the Inside Passage in Alaska.
The Stena Hollandica is the largest combined freight and passenger ferry in the world. It is the first of two Ropax ships built at the Nordic Yards shipyard in Wismar, Germany.
Mike of DownieLive is the latter, proven by how he voluntarily got on the Alaska Marine Highway System. It is America's longest ferry, which travels 1,300 miles from Bellingham, Washington, to Whittier, Alaska.
Currently, the largest are Höegh Autoliners, six Horizon class vessels with capacity of 8,500 CEU each. The car carrier Auriga Leader, belonging to Nippon Yusen Kaisha, built in 2008 with a capacity of 6,200 cars, is the world's first partially solar powered ship.
Ship. Cars are also sent across America using ships, but this method is used far less often due to its high cost and slow speed of delivery. Most vehicles that travel by boat do so along inland waterways or coastlines. Water transport can help move heavy items over long distances.
The Felicity Ace had been carrying nearly 4,000 vehicles from various Volkswagen Group brands. A number of the vehicles were fully electric, including models from Volkswagen and Audi, something that could have made the fire more difficult to control.
Washington State Ferries operates the largest ferry system in the United States, with 21 ferries that travel across Puget Sound and the greater Salish Sea.
With plenty of space to walk around, entertainment options, comfortable seating and stunning sea views, you'll feel refreshed and relaxed when you reach your destination. You can pack as much as you like when you travel by ferry, you can even bring your bike, your skis, and your dog!
Despite its popular image of vastness the Titanic was no bigger than a modern North Sea ferry, an expert in marine technology has said.
Today, New York City has only two true car-carrying ferry routes: the five-minute passage between Manhattan and Governors Island (which is advertised as “car-free” but accepts work-related vehicles) and the crossing between City and Hart Islands.
Where is the best place to sit in a ferry?
Find a seat in the middle of the ferry, also the lower you are the better. So stay low (not the upper deck) and sit in the middle. Window seats tend to be better ( a tip that might collide with the seat in the middle of the ferry) but if you keep your eyes on the horizon.
There is no car ferry across the Atlantic. You can ship your car with a shipping company and I do, from time to time see European vehicles on our roads with European licence plates on them, so this is not unheard of. I would investigate how your insurance coverage would work if you chose to ship your vehicle.
All ferries have toilet facilities including at least one wheelchair accessible toilet.
For security reasons, our security staff has the freedom to search you or your luggage at any time. Tip: You spend the night on board both on the outward and return journeys. Pack a separate bag with necessary items so that you do not have to take your entire suitcase out of the car to the cabin.
Passengers are responsible for getting their own luggage to and from the luggage carousels and they must be able to comfortably carry it themselves. Please note that luggage is limited to 2 suitcases per person and each suitcase/bag must not weigh more than 22kg.
A ferry boat captain operates ferries, transporting passengers and cargo on a set path between two or more docks in coastal and inland waters. They maintain a schedule, oversee loading and unloading procedures on the ship and supervise and co-ordinate the activities of deck crews.
Ferry: Intended to transport passengers and perhaps their vehicles on a scheduled route. While the ferry may have entertainment and facilities for the passengers, the principle aim is to transport the passengers from A to B. Boat: A small vessel. A small vessel is a boat and a large vessel is a ship.
A ferry is a boat that transports passengers and sometimes also vehicles, usually across rivers or short stretches of sea.
Although these vessels are convenient for commuters in cities such as New York, accidents involving ferries occur frequently. In the U.S. and other countries, hundreds of persons are injured or killed in incidents involving ferries every year.
Following a very poor year for known ferry fatalities in 2021, the year 2022 saw a big improvement with the known death toll almost halved from 1,378 to 699.
Are ferries better than flying?
Research has shown that ferries emit far less CO2 emissions than airplanes, particularly in comparison to short-haul flights.
They have more in common with a bus or train than a cruise ship as their main purpose is to provide passengers with a form of transportation for a reason rather than for leisure - particularly in areas that have a lot of water.
From Middle English ferien (“to carry, convey, convey in a boat”), from Old English ferian (“to carry, convey, bear, bring, lead, conduct, betake oneself to, be versed in, depart, go”), from Proto-West Germanic *farjan, from Proto-Germanic *farjaną (“to make or let go, transfer, ferry”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- ...
Bow : Front of a boat. Stern : Rear of a boat.
The largest vessel can accommodate 200 cars and 2,500 passengers while the smallest ferry can carry 34 cars and 200 passengers.
The car deck on each ferry can accommodate approximately 100 standard sized vehicles.
The ferries can hold up to twenty passenger vehicles but has size restrictions for other vehicles, the details of which can be found on the TxDOT website.
ferry, a place where passengers, freight, or vehicles are carried by boat across a river, lake, arm of the sea, or other body of water. The term applies both to the place where the crossing is made and to the boat used for the purpose.
No country in the world, as a general policy, allows people to remain in their vehicles on enclosed vehicle decks, due to the inherent safety risk and potential for catastrophic loss of life.
Liberty Landing Ferry operates between the World Financial Center in NYC and Jersey City, NJ. In New Jersey, the ferry makes stops at Liberty Landing Marina in Liberty State Park and Warren Street before returning to the World Financial Center. New York Waterway runs a number of routes between New Jersey and Manhattan.
What is the longest ferry ride in NYC?
The longest line from the NYC Ferry is: RW. This Ferry route starts from Rockaway (Queens) and ends at Wall St/Pier 11 (Manhattan). It covers over 25 km and has 3 stops.
NYC DOT operates the Staten Island Ferry, providing free service between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan every day of the week, year-round.
Ferry carries people who want to go from one bank to another bank of a river. It can also carry pets, vehicles and heavy luggage.
The simple answer is: they are generally very safe. In fact, ferries are normally considered one of the safest means to travel in Europe. In fact, the European Union (EU) has applied certain regulations concerning safety on passenger ferries (ro-ro) with which all operators operating in European ports should align.
Find a seat in the middle of the ferry, also the lower you are the better. So stay low (not the upper deck) and sit in the middle. Window seats tend to be better ( a tip that might collide with the seat in the middle of the ferry) but if you keep your eyes on the horizon.