The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has released further details about the technical fault that forced its fast craft Manannan to abandon a sailing to Liverpool.

The vessel had reached the mouth of the Mersey on the morning of Thursday, August 7, when a generator disconnected from the ship’s electrical switchboards. The company said it was deemed unsafe to continue and there was a risk Manannan would not be allowed to dock or leave Liverpool port until the fault was resolved.

The decision was made to return to Douglas, with passengers transferred to the Manxman sailing to Heysham. Coach transport was provided for foot passengers between Liverpool and Heysham.

Steam Packet engineers initially believed the problem was caused by the generator itself, but further investigation revealed failed components in the safety and control circuits of the switchboard. These were preventing the generator breaker from operating.

A company spokesperson said the fault was ‘found methodically and with professionalism’ and that some of the work had to be carried out without electrical power, using only battery lighting, due to the dangers of working with high voltages.

Later on Thursday, the 3pm sailing to Liverpool was delayed by three hours to allow more time for repair work but was later cancelled. Steam Packet staff worked overnight to complete repairs, and Manannan has since returned to service.

Managing director Brian Thomson said: ‘I wish to thank the tireless work of all the staff involved and the dedication shown to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.’

This was the second time in under two weeks that generator issues have disrupted services. On July 27 and 28, all Manannan sailings were cancelled and specialist engineers were flown in to assist with repairs.

Passengers affected by the disruption were offered free transfers to alternative sailings or full refunds. Updates are available at www.steam-packet.com/delays-and-disruptions-advice.