News

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s new fast craft Manannan will now be arriving in Douglas at around midday on Monday, May 11.

The vessel was scheduled to leave Portsmouth on Friday, May 8, however, as a result of a forecast for severe weather for Friday evening in the South-West of England, the Company has decided to take the prudent step of rescheduling the passage to the Isle of Man.

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: ‘I was hoping to welcome Manannan to the Island at the weekend, however, it is clear from the current weather forecast that this is no longer practical.

‘During the passage to the Island, it was planned that certain specialist equipment commissioning and calibration work would be undertaken, taking advantage of the long journey time. However, this needs to be done in relatively calm conditions and 4 to 5-metre waves en route are forecast. As a result, we have decided to delay her departure until better conditions are expected.

‘Manannan’s in-service date of May 22 is not affected by this change and I look forward to welcoming her into the operational fleet in the run up to TT. Encouragingly, forward bookings for this year’s TT remain up on last year and with Manannan’s extra capacity, we will be able to accommodate extra last-minute bookings over the TT period.’