Liverpool to Isle of Man services face March disruption
Essential upgrades to the £70m Isle of Man ferry terminal in March will mean cancellations to services between Liverpool and the island in March. Tony McDonough reports
People looking to travel to the Isle of Man from Liverpool in March will face disruptions to their travel plans.
On Tuesday the Isle of Man government, which owns the £70m ferry terminal on the River Mersey, announced that essential upgrades to the facility close to the Pier Head would see services switched to Heysham in Lancashire across two weekends.
Service operator Isle of Man Steam Packet, which is also owned by the Manx Government, usually operates return sailings between Liverpool and the Isle of Man on Saturdays and Sundays during the winter months.
However on March 14/15 and March 21/22 these sailings will be suspended so work on the upgrades can be carried out.
In a statement the Manx Government said: “The Department of Infrastructure, as owner of the Isle of Man Ferry Terminal facility, have requested the closure of the berth to accommodate the ongoing works to fenders.
“This work will impact sailings to and from Liverpool on the weekends of 14th to 15th March and 21st to 22nd March.
“These will now operate to Heysham Port, coach transfers to Liverpool Terminal will be laid on for any foot passengers requiring transfers to/from Liverpool.
“The company would like to apologise for the disruption whilst this work is being carried out and would like to reassure you that we are taking all steps necessary to minimise the effects of the changes.
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In berthing trials at the terminal in 2024, using Isle of Man Steam Packet vessels Manxman and Ben-my-Chree, 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.