Manannan will be operating on slightly reduced power for the remainder of the TT period after ingesting discarded fishing gear which has damaged a shaft bearing on one of her four engines.
With the damaged engine operating at reduced power, there may be some slight delays to departure/arrival times as a result of longer crossing times.
Chief Executive Mark Woodward explained: ‘Divers from the Department of Infrastructure have inspected the vessel and found and removed fishing gear which became entangled around one of the vessel’s impellors. The jet duct is scored, but thankfully does not appear to be badly damaged.
‘This has happened on previous occasions, and we have campaigned long and hard about the risks to scheduled services from fishing gear discarded in Manx waters.’
Mr. Woodward said: ‘The practical consequences are that Manannan will operate at a slower speed for the remainder of the TT period until the damaged engine can be repaired. It may also be necessary to reschedule some sailings after the TT period to allow a permanent repair to be effected. We will advise passengers of any changes necessary to schedules as soon as we are able.
‘With virtually no slack in her TT schedule, there is little alternative and the result is that there may be some delays to passage times and departure timings until the damage can be repaired after TT.’
Steam Packet Company engineers are closely monitoring the issue. To mitigate delays, the Company is drafting in additional resources where available to improve turnaround times and will also roster crews to start earlier each day.
