We understand that the extension of Manxman's dry dock programme may affect customers' travel plans. To help keep everyone informed, this page below provides the latest updates in one place.
Manxman UpdateManxman Update
Manxman Update
We know and fully understand how disruptive Manxman's absence has been for passengers and freight customers, and are sorry for the continued delay in returning Manxman to service. This page sets out exactly where things currently stand and what happens next.
What is Manxman's current status?
Updated - Monday 28 September
We are making a number of temporary changes to our Larne and Heysham schedules as we work towards returning Manxman to service in November.
The changes are:
Larne — the Wednesday return sailings on 11, 18 and 25 November are cancelled. The current Friday and Monday sailings move to Thursday and Sunday overnight sailings to maintain the route’s connectivity.
Heysham — the Thursday and Sunday overnight Ben-my-Chree passenger sailings are cancelled (six return sailings in total). Freight services will be maintained by Arrow, sailing overnight to Heysham on Thursdays and Sundays.
Any passenger whose booking is affected will be contacted directly by the Steam Packet Company Reservations Team, in travel-date order, and assisted with alternative arrangements. Where no suitable alternative sailing is available, passengers will be entitled to a full refund.
Next update: Tuesday 6 October - or sooner, whenever there is news. Every update will remain on this page, dated, so you can view our communications and the progress being made.
Why is Manxman Out of Service?
In July, after three years of service, Manxman entered dry dock at the shipyard in Liverpool. Routine inspections identified issues that required further investigation: wear on the liners of the two propulsion shafts and their associated bearings. After a lengthy and complex removal process, the extent of the wear became clear. While the shafts were being removed, a related third component was found to have suffered significant wear and was also removed for specialist repair.
An investigation into the root cause of the wear on these parts is now being carried out by independent specialist marine investigators and we will update this page once that work concludes.
The vessel was originally due to return to service at the end of September. However both shafts were transported to Denmark where specialist companies have now sourced the materials and are in the process of making the repairs. These repairs can take up to 6-8 weeks to complete and following their delivery back to the UK a complex re-assembly process of the shaft bearings and liners will begin at the shipyard.
What it means for your booking?
If you are booked to travel on Manxman from 01 October until Manxman returns to service you will be impacted by these changes. Initially, no action is required by you until you receive notification from our team where you will be advised of the changes and how to contact us.
Our Reservations team will notify all affected passengers of any vessel or sailing amendments by text and email using the contact details provided in your booking, as quickly as is possible. Due to the volume of enquiries, response times may take longer than usual but we will respond to every enquiry. We appreciate your patience and understanding while our teams work as quickly as possible to answer your queries. You will find a detailed set of Q&A's below to assist you with the queries you may have about refunds, cabins, lounges, vessels, pets and seating.
The notifications to passengers impacted by the changes will be done in date order and published below with the dates of where we're up to for those who've been contacted.
Passenger Notifications
As of 01/10/26 all passengers booked during the affected period have been notified of any sailing amendments.
Steam Packet confirms temporary November schedule ahead of Manxman's return
28 September 2026
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company oversees specialist repair of Manxman's shafts in Denmark
22 September 2026
Manxman to return to service in November
8 September 2026
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company reassures customers as freight services remain uninterrupted
10 August 2026
FAQ's
Sailings transferred from Manxman to Ben-my-Chree will be processed automatically. If your booking is affected, the Reservations Team will contact you to confirm any changes and provide any further instructions you may need by text or email provided at the time of booking.
Our Reservations Team are currently contacting all affected passengers in order of their travel date. Our Reservations teams are working hard to contact passengers as quickly as possible by text or email using the contact details provided at the time of booking. We appreciate that changes to travel plans can be frustrating and we thank you for your patience and understanding while we prioritise contacting passengers in order of their travel dates. We're currently experiencing a higher than usual volume of emails and calls, which may impact our response times. We thank you for your patience while our team works to support all passengers as quickly as possible.
Any cabins booked will be removed from the booking and refunded. Refunds will be processed back to the payment method used to make the booking. If passengers would then like to book any lounge seats, these can be purchased by contacting our reservations team.
You can choose to transfer the value of your Injebreck Lounge seat booking towards either the Niarbyl Lounge or the Premium Lounge (subject to availability). If you do not wish to transfer to one of these lounges, we can provide a full refund for your Injebreck Lounge seat booking, please contact us to confirm this with our team who will arrange the refund.
Passengers booked on affected Larne sailings will be contacted directly by our Reservations Team. While sailings are expected to operate, they may be subject to changes in departure times or vessel. If your booking is affected, we'll be in touch to let you know
Passengers who had a pet cabin booked on Manxman will be offered a space in the dedicated pet lounge on board Ben-my-Chree. As pet cabins are not available on this vessel, a refund for the difference in price will be provided. There is also pet kennels available on the car deck or the option of leaving your pet in your car.
We continue to review the schedule and some customers may be affected by vessel changes, schedule adjustments or cancellations. If your booking is affected, our Reservations Team will contact you directly to inform you of any alterations by text or email using the contact information provided at the time of booking.
Freight services will continue to operate during this period and will be supported by the Arrow which has been recalled from its charter. We remain fully committed to maintaining the Island's vital supply links and minimising any disruptions to freight services.
Passenger cabins were repurposed as crew accommodation to provide greater operational resilience and enable the vessel to operate outside the normal schedule, including where there are extended delays between sailings. With crew accommodated on board, we can operate a sailing from the Isle of Man to Heysham, remain in port for an extended period, and then return to the Isle of Man as soon as conditions allow. This enables us to maintain some services when disruption occurs, rather than cancelling multiple sailings. Crew accommodation was also provided to enable the vessel to maintain year-round connectivity with Ireland via the new Larne sailing schedule and to support charter operations. The crew accommodation area is highly secure, with access restricted by multiple security measures in accordance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and applicable regulatory requirements.