Manxman to return to service in November

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company today confirmed that Manxman will return to service no later than the end of November, following the complex specialist repair of the vessel’s two propulsion shafts during her ongoing dry dock.

During the scheduled dry dock in July, 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, related components found to have suffered significant wear were 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 the Company will provide an update once the work concludes.

Managing Director Brian Thomson said:

“We recognise the frustration this outage has caused and sincerely apologise to our customers. Safety is our highest priority, and Manxman will return to service only when all work is complete and fully tested. We are confident in the revised timeline announced today. In the meantime, Ben-my-Chree, Manannan and Arrow will continue to provide the passenger and freight capacity needed to maintain our lifeline services.”

The vessel was due to return to service at the end of September, however both shafts have had to be transported to Denmark where specialist companies have now sourced the materials and are in the process of making the repairs. The repairs in Denmark will 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.

Manxman is currently in the Wet Basin at the shipyard in Liverpool. Her propulsion shaft bearings and liners are due to return to the shipyard in preparation for her re-entry into dry dock. Once in dry dock, work will begin to refit the bearings and both propulsion shafts, each weighing more than 17 tonnes and measuring 18 metres in length. This is a highly complex operation, which will be followed by testing, sea trials and inspection by the Company's regulators.

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.  The company has a dedicated Manxman information and Q&A page on its website to assist passengers with any queries and will publish updates every week until the vessel returns to service, or sooner when there is news.

To find out more visit the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company dedicated webpage on our website: Manxman Update | Steam Packet