Steam Packet Say Sorry

It’s been a bumpy week for Isle of Man Steam Packet passengers, with Managing Director Brian Thomson admitting that sticking to the timetable has ‘proven impossible’ after technical problems hit both the Manxman and Ben-My-Chree.

Trouble started on Tuesday when smoke was spotted in the Manxman’s machinery space on its overnight Heysham to Douglas crossing.

Passengers were safely mustered, emergency plans kicked in, and the ship limped into Douglas at reduced speed. That meant the 8.45am and 2.15pm sailings were cancelled.

Ben-my-Chree ran a freight-only trip later that evening, while the Manannan stepped in to carry passengers to the UK.

On Wednesday, Ben-my-Chree’s 8.30am sailing from Douglas kept getting pushed back thanks to damage to fire safety equipment during freight loading, with knock-on delays hitting Manannan’s Dublin and Liverpool sailings too.

Mr Thomson said: ‘While we have largely managed to maintain continuity of services, the scheduled times have proven impossible to maintain, and for that we apologise sincerely.

‘We have tried to mitigate this as much as possible, but fully accept that cancellations or changes to schedules have a major impact on travel plans.’

He also praised staff for going the extra mile: ‘The team has responded professionally, working a huge number of extra hours to ensure sailings kept going and traffic flowed in both directions.’

By today (Thursday), things were back closer to normal, with Manxman leaving Douglas slightly ahead of schedule and Manannan’s Liverpool trip on track.

Passengers affected by delays are advised to check the Steam Packet website for refunds, compensation, and feedback.