The new user agreement with the Steam Packet will ensure the security of the island’s ’lifeline service’.

That was the assurance that Nick Black, chief executive of the Department of Infrastructure, gave the Tynwald committee exploring the £80m Harbour Strategy.

Mr Black (pictured right) was responding to a question from Chris Robertshaw MHK about whether the island needed to consider expanding the size of Douglas harbour to provide long term security of our shipping and freight services,

Mr Black said the department wanted the new sea services agreement, which is replacing the user agreement, to ensure that the operator had three vessels.

’They’re effectively going to have to ensure that, with two vessels out of service, the company would still have one to preserve that lifeline service,’ he said.

Mr Black added that this was a cheaper way of securing the sea link rather than investing in bigger vessels and more facilities.

But he admitted that there may need to be more consideration in the future, adding: The strategy allows us to keep an open eye and mind.’

The island’s new sea service strategy with the Steam Packet was due before January’s Tynwald, according to an answer in the October Tynwald from Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan.

Mr Cannan then said: ’The Minister for Infrastructure [Ray Harmer] now intends to bring a proposed new user agreement before the January sitting of this honourable court.’

The Manx Independent has contacted the DoI for an update on this timeframe.

Mr Robertshaw had previously stated how Douglas harbour’s size was restricting the number of vessels available to the island and said ’you wouldn’t build an airport that way’.

Mr Black said the island’s airport was a certain size which reflected our needs, meaning the island was unlikely to have an A380 or 747 land.

’We don’t have an airport that will take every airliner flying because we don’t have the need, we can’t afford it and we don’t have the land to provide that’, he said.

’In marine terms, yes I absolutely accept that there are a limited number of vessels that could substitute for ours in the event that they were catastrophically lost.’

Mr Black noted that when checks were made to see how many vessels could potentially be available at short notice in the event of the Ben-my-Chree not being available ’was in single digits’.