Manxman return date ‘not set in stone’, Steam Packet boss says

The Steam Packet’s managing director has said the late November return date for the Manxman is ‘not set in stone’, despite the company stating earlier this week that the flagship will return to service no later than the end of November.

Brian Thomson told Isle of Man Today the company was ‘hopeful’ it could meet the revised timeframe but said it was dealing with the facts as they developed.

The Steam Packet announced on Tuesday that Manxman would remain out of service until ‘at least the end of November’, after previously expecting the vessel to return by the end of September.

Mr Thomson said the earlier date had been ‘optimistic’, with the latest timeframe based on further information about the repairs.

‘We’re hopeful we can stick to that, but again, it’s not set in stone,’ he said.

‘We’re doing our level best. The whole team right across the company are working as hard as possible.’

Manxman has been out of service since scheduled dry dock maintenance uncovered significant wear to the liners of both propulsion shafts and their associated bearings.

The two shafts, each weighing more than 17 tonnes, have been sent to Denmark for specialist repairs.

An independent investigation is also under way to establish the root cause of the wear.

Mr Thomson said the Manxman had experienced issues since entering service in 2023, but said the company had been ‘pretty happy’ with what the vessel had delivered before the latest problem.

He described the vessel’s systems as ‘complicated’ and ‘complex’, saying it was unrealistic to expect a new ship built from scratch to be ‘absolutely spot on’.

He said the shaft issue had ‘really set us back’ and that the company was disappointed because it wanted Manxman back operating its normal service.

Mr Thomson also addressed concerns about Douglas Harbour, saying the Steam Packet would like to see a capital dredge carried out to improve its depth.

However, he did not link the harbour conditions to the Manxman’s propulsion problems while the investigation continues.

He also revealed the company had faced increased abuse from frustrated passengers, including an incident in which he said a staff member was threatened with a bottle.

Mr Thomson said the company had a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to abuse.