Isle of Man Government orders Steam Packet Company to switch this weekend’s sailings between Liverpool and the Isle of Man to Heysham amid delays to an essential upgrade on its £70m terminal. Tony McDonough reports
Travellers planning to sail to the Isle of Man from Liverpool this weekend will now have to make their way to Heysham to catch the ferry.
Manxman was due to sail to the Isle of Man at 2pm on both Saturday and Sunday from the £70m Isle of Man terminal on the Mersey. However, both Steam Packet services will now only operate between the island and Heysham.
In early October travellers were warned of disruption this autumn as an essential upgrade to the facility, which opened in summer 2024, would have to be carried out.
In berthing trials for Isle of Man Steam Packet vessels Manxman and Ben-my-Chree in 2024 it was discovered that, at lower tides, mooring lines clashed with a dolphin fender.
This is a cushioning device to absorb the impact of a vessel during berthing or accidental collisions. Engineers have been looking at options to resolve the problem. However, work could not be carried out during the busy summer period.
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In an announcement this week the Isle of Man said schedule for works to improve mooring arrangements had to be changed again.
In statement it said: “Unfortunately, recent adverse weather on a preceding job in Wales is continuing to affect the availability of barge Lara 1, which is a heavy lifting crane, meaning that work to modify the mooring fenders at the terminal has been unavoidably delayed again. The contractors have been unable to source an alternative barge.
“As a result, the Department of Infrastructure has requested the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company to reschedule the November 22 and 23 sailings to operate to and from Heysham. The DoI would like to apologise to travellers for any inconvenience caused.”