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Manxman Drydock Update

Phillyclad coating and repair of two 18-meter-long propeller shafts

23 October 2026 By Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.
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Repair and Coating of two 18-meter-long propeller shafts

To start from the beginning:

M/V Manxman had entered a planned dry dock at the Balaena Shipyard in Birkenhead, England, when it became clear that the propeller shafts and liners had suffered significant wear, requiring repairs and extending the ferry's time out of service.

MarineShaft was appointed to repair the two 18-meter-long propeller shafts. 

Our workshop facilities and repair capabilities enable us to handle large-scale equipment and complex repairs. 

We fully reconditioned the STB and the PS propeller shafts.
Our work scope included:

Removal of existing PhillyClad coating
Controlled removal of three existing liners on each propeller shaft
Manufacturing of six new Aluminum Bronze liners
Shrink fitting of the liners to the propeller shafts
Final machining of the new sleeves after mounting on propeller shafts
Coating between liners with PhillyClad.

Because we keep raw material in stock, manufacturing the new liners had no impact on lead time; on the contrary, we could start manufacturing right away.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s Fleet Operations Manager Scott Wright visited our workshop while the shaft repair work was ongoing.

We want to share a comment Scott Wright made afterward – published in the company's press release:

 “From our first approach it has been clear how much MarineShaft share our priorities — precision engineering and workmanship, full compliance with safety standards, and a determination to complete these repairs on time”.

MarineShaft assisted with logistics, and the shafts were safely returned to the vessel within the agreed timeframe.

Our next job for M/V Manxman has already begun.

We sent machining equipment to Balaena Birkenhead, followed by our service engineers, who will bore the V- and I-strut bearing housings to remove ovality.


We look forward to sharing more details about the on-site machining and completion of this project in our next newsletter.

If you want to read the full press release from The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, the link is here:

https://www.steam-packet.com/news/isle-of-man-steam-packet-company-oversees-specialist-repair-of-manxmans-shafts-in-denmark