Sailings between the Isle of Man and Heysham have been cancelled today after disruption caused by gale-force winds.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said earlier delays meant action was needed to prevent ‘slippage’ - in this context, when services slip further behind schedule.

Today’s (March 14) sailing from Douglas to Heysham was delayed until 12pm, while the return journey has been cancelled. The 7.15pm departure from Douglas has also been cancelled.

The Manxman is scheduled to leave Heysham at 1.45am as originally planned, which the company said will bring services back into line with the timetable.

The disruption follows a period of weather-related delays caused by gale-force winds exceeding port limits.

The company said it does not take the decision to cancel sailings lightly but hopes the changes will minimise further disruption for passengers and freight.

In maritime operations, ‘slippage’ usually refers to delays building up during a vessel’s schedule - meaning each subsequent sailing departs later than planned. If not corrected, this can lead to increasing disruption across multiple services.

The Steam Packet said the changes were made to avoid delays continuing to grow over the coming days.

Head of operations James Royston said: ‘We are truly sorry for any disruption to travel plans, but when we assessed the ongoing delay we could see that we had to take decisive action in order to avoid causing more disruption through the week.

‘Despite the best efforts from all at the company, afloat and ashore, the degree of slippage had increased to the point where we were at risk of being outside our window of availability for dockers in Heysham.

‘This would have had a major effect on loading and unloading times, meaning we’d not be able to catch up to schedule without taking action.’

Passengers booked on the 7.15pm sailing from Douglas can transfer to the rescheduled 12pm departure free of charge, rebook on another sailing subject to availability, or receive a full refund.

Passengers due to travel on the 2pm sailing from Heysham can transfer to the 1.45am departure or another sailing if space is available, or receive a full refund.

The company said its reservations team has been contacting passengers affected by the changes. Coaches will still operate for foot passengers transferring between the Heysham and Liverpool terminals.