The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s managing director has said the company would like to see Douglas Harbour undergo a capital dredge, regardless of whether its investigation into the Manxman’s propulsion problems finds any link to silting in the harbour.
Brian Thomson said the company was working with the Department of Infrastructure on what would be required to carry out such work, adding that the harbour’s depth ‘could be improved’.
A capital dredge physically digs and removes hard, compacted materials like stone and solid clay, whereas a plough dredge only pushes loose mud and soft silt around. As seen this week, the DoI has been carrying out ‘routine plough dredging’ in the harbour.
Mr Thomson was speaking to Isle of Man Today after it was confirmed this week that the Steam Packet’s flagship Manxman will not return to service until late November.
The vessel has been out of service following the discovery of significant wear to the liners of both propulsion shafts and their associated bearings during scheduled dry dock maintenance.
An independent investigation is under way to establish the root cause of the wear.
Mr Thomson did not link the Manxman’s problems to the depth or conditions of Douglas Harbour and said the investigation would be allowed to ‘run its course’.
Asked whether the company had identified any evidence that harbour depth, silting or dredging had contributed to the damage, he said: ‘While the investigations are going on, I don't think I can say anything about that.’
He was also asked whether the Steam Packet would seek to recover repair costs from the Department of Infrastructure if the investigation found harbour conditions had contributed to the damage.
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Mr Thomson said that was a ‘crystal ball question’ and he could not answer.
However, he said the company had broader concerns about the depth of the harbour.
‘In general, we would like to see the harbour having a capital dredge, which would mean removing material,’ he said.
‘We’re working with the DoI on that and what they have to do to be able to achieve that, because the harbour depth could be improved.’
A recent Freedom of Information request revealed that the Douglas Harbour has been dredged 16 times between the start of March and the end of July this year.
Plough dredging is being carried out by the harbours workboat Tarroo Ushtey, and has been seen back out in the harbour this week.
Now, however, the Department say ‘any capital dredging programme would be dependent on the necessary regulatory and funding approvals’.
A DoI spokesperson said: ‘The Department continues to engage with stakeholders on the long-term requirements of Douglas Harbour, including options that may support future operational and commercial needs.
He said the company was ‘confident’ that the repairs being carried out would fix the issue.
‘We'd rather fix it properly, identify the issue, and do everything we can to prevent reoccurrence. That's the key,’ he said.
The repairs to the two propulsion shafts are being carried out in Denmark, with the components then due to return to the UK for reassembly and testing.
The Steam Packet currently expects Manxman to return to service in late November.
When asked who will be ultimately paying for the repairs, and an indication of how much this entire episode was costing the company, he said: ‘It's costing the Steam Packet in a lot of different ways, so I don't think I could put a figure on it.
‘But in terms of the paying for the repairs, there is an investigation going on.
‘We're not 100% sure of the cause of the issue, and I think that will sort of define the way those costs go.’
Before carrying passengers, the vessel will undergo a sea trial, with engineers required to be satisfied that everything is working correctly.
The Steam Packet has repeatedly apologised to passengers affected by the prolonged outage.
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