The Steam Packet is financially fit enough to cope and has not needed to seek out any government support during the Covid-19 crisis.

It has also emerged that hundreds of people have travelled on the Steam Packet since the borders were closed.

Asked whether the company had needed cash help Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan told the Manx Independent: ’Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is not receiving support by way of the Salary Support Scheme.

’We are in close contact with the Steam Packet regarding the financial impact.

’The company entered this situation in a strong financial position with good levels of cash reserves and is not in need of any immediate support.’

Meanwhile a Steam Packet spokesman said the company is sailing twice a day in each direction between Douglas and Heysham ’at the direction of government, not because of demand’. The freight vessel the Arrow remains docked in the bay ready to sail out on freight missions as a substitute to the Ben my Chree if and when needed.

The Steam Packet also supplied some statistics to Isle of Man Newspapers on passenger figures.

Between Friday, March 27, when the borders were closed to all new arrivals, and May 11, a total of 334 passengers sailed from the Isle of Man.

As Chief Minister Howard Quayle has previously indicated, there was nothing to stop people from the island leaving by boat but they could not return without having to quarantine on their return.

During the same period, 254 passengers sailed to the island, including 97 repatriation passengers.

That means there were 157 passengers who were not coming through pre-arranged repatriation.

A notice on the Steam Packet website advises: ’Any passenger intending to arrive on the Isle of Man must hold an authorisation issued by the chief secretary to confirm that the passenger is a person who is required to perform specific essential work on the Isle of Man. Authorisation requests must be made 24 hours prior to the intended date and time of travel by contacting [email protected]’

The chief secretary, Will Greenhow, is the head of the Isle of Man Civil Service.

An example was shown only this week of passengers allowed to travel when staff from the Royal Logistics Corps bomb disposal unit travelled over to work with the Coastguard to safely dispose of a piece of Second World War ordnance.

The mortar round was found by a member of the public on Sunday near the Raad ny Foillan at Spanish Head.

After liaising with the Joint Services EOD Operations Centre in the UK, an Army bomb disposal team was tasked to travel to the island on the overnight sailing from Heysham.

Isle of Man Newspapers submitted a question to the government’s Cabinet Office last Thursday requesting more information about the status of the 157 other passengers who travelled here during the period listed.

There was no reply by the time we went to press.