Manxman will have a winter capacity limit of 750 persons on board.

This total would typically consist of 698 passengers and 52 crew members.

The vessel can take up to 948 people, 300 more than the Ben-My-Chree and has extra vehicle capacity.

Treasury Minister, Alex Allinson, who was asked on the matter in the House of Keys this week explained: ‘The proposed winter restriction is based on having the ability to evacuate all persons using the marine evacuation system from one side of the vessel.

‘This limitation is a result of a hazard identifying workshop during the alternative design and arrangement assessment.

‘However, through dynamic risk assessment, and ultimately the Masters decision to sail, Manxman can exceed the self-imposed limit provided weather, wind and wave conditions are within acceptable criteria.’

When considering the reduce passenger capacity during the winter months, which run from November to March inclusive, the Steam Packet advised that maximum recorded passenger figure was 539, between 2017 and 2020, according to Dr Allinson.

He added: ‘Records from more than 2,000 sailings during this period showed that only 98 sailings had more than 400 passengers.’

In a separate question on the Manxman, Dr Allinson said that there is no intention for the vessel to sail to Dublin.

He said: ‘The current certification issued by the island’s Ship Registry to the Manxman, limits operation in the Irish Sea to between Douglas, Heysham, Liverpool and Belfast.

‘The Steam Packet Company currently has no plans for Manxman sailings to Dublin, the vessel was designed to operate primarily between Douglas and Heysham.’

He said that Dublin has never been a regular port for the Ben-My-Chree and that the company has never had plans to send the Manxman there.

The Manannan is scheduled to sail into and out of Dublin 18 times in 2024, but the average passenger numbers for each sailing is only 242 per sailing.

‘This route is relatively low and certainly wouldn’t justify taking a larger vessel there.

‘I know that the Chief Executive Officer of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company sits on the Visit Isle of Man agency, and they are looking at extending the tourist season and also the tourist offering to people across the island of Ireland, particularly in the Republic.

'Those negotiations will be ongoing in terms of how we can maximise this route, both for tourists coming to the island, but also for our own community wanting to travel to the Republic of Ireland.’