New consumer rights for ship passengers 

The Council and the European Parliament have agreed on rules ensuring rights for passengers travelling by ship – similar to those already applicable in the field of transport by airplane and railroad.

Minister for Economic and Business Affairs Brian Mikkelsen says:

“As the consumers’ Minister, I am pleased that we are now about to have consumer rights for all kinds of transport. Ship passengers all over Europe will have equal rights. That is, in the Danish view, a positive development. This is not least true of disabled passengers who are to get the assistance needed to be able to travel just like other passengers.”

The regulations provide all passengers with general rights and provide disabled passengers with special rights, which will generally ensure them the same access as that given to everybody else to ship transport.

For disabled passengers the regulations mean that they will be entitled to assistance in connection with voyages by ship, especially in the form of practical assistance for embarking and disembarking.

In general, all passengers must receive the relevant information in connection with a voyage. If the ship’s departure is delayed by more than 1.5 hours, the passengers must – insofar as possible – be offered meals and be informed about alternative possibilities of transport. If the ship is considerably delayed upon arrival, the passenger can furthermore require a compensation of 25 per cent of the ticket price. In case of very long delays, the compensation is increased to 50 per cent of the ticket price.

More information about the new regulations is available here.

Additional information is available from the webpage of the European Parliament.