P&O Ferries

About P&O Ferries

P&O Ferries is a British ferry company whose history traces back to the founding of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company in 1837. The modern ferry brand was formed in 2002 from the merger of the former companies P&O Stena Line, P&O Portsmouth, P&O North Sea Ferries and P&O Irish Sea; since 2019 it has belonged to the Dubai-based ports group DP World. By its own account, P&O Ferries operates more than 20 ships on eight routes across the Channel, North Sea and Irish Sea, with over 30,000 sailings and more than 10 million passengers, 1.6 million cars and 2.2 million freight units a year; around 2,000 people work for the company.

Ships on the Northern Ireland route

Between Cairnryan and Larne sail the sister ships European Causeway and European Highlander. On board there's a food court with hot food, a café with Costa coffee, the World Duty Free shop, a currency exchange and free Wi-Fi; if you'd rather relax, book the Club Lounge with reserved seating, drinks and snacks, and with Priority Boarding you're among the first on and off. There are activities for children too.

Routes to Ireland

The Cairnryan - Larne route is the shortest ferry link to Northern Ireland: around two hours across the North Channel, six departures daily each way between 04:00 and 23:59, and around 30 minutes from Larne to Belfast. For travellers from mainland Europe, P&O Ferries operates the connecting routes across the Channel, Dover - Calais, and across the North Sea, Hull - Rotterdam as an overnight ferry with a cabin. All the routes via Great Britain are compared in the overview Ferries from England to Ireland.

Check-in, vehicles and pets

On Cairnryan-Larne, check-in closes 30 minutes before departure by vehicle, and 45 minutes before on foot; on Dover-Calais the times are 60 and 90 minutes respectively, and on Hull-Rotterdam you need to be at the port 90 minutes before. Photo ID is required on all routes. Cars, motorbikes, caravans, motorhomes, vans and bicycles are all carried; gas cylinders must be declared, shut off and secured, and the fare depends on length and height including any roof box. Pets travel free on the Larne route and stay in the vehicle, up to five per booking; foot passengers may not bring pets except assistance dogs. More in the guides Motorhome and Dogs and pets; the documents your dog or cat needs on the way to Northern Ireland are summarised in the overview Ferries from England to Ireland.

Tickets

Prices are dynamic: travel date, time, vehicle and number of passengers determine the fare, and sailings booked early are usually cheaper. On the Larne route, passenger and number-plate details can be changed up to the day of travel; rebooking and cancellation rules depend on the fare chosen and are shown at the booking step. The booking screen shows the final total; see the prices page for an overview.