Old ferry upgrade would cost £18m, minister says

The Ben-my-Chree was the Isle of Man's main passenger ferry before the Manxman entered service

Modernising the Isle of Man's back-up passenger ferry would cost £18m to and the spend would not be recovered over its remaining lifespan, the treasury minister has said.

Alex Allinson MHK said the Ben-my-Chree was currently operating with "several outdated systems", which affected its "efficiency and reliability".

In the House of Keys he outlined a list of works that would be needed to bring it up to modern standards, including an overhaul of the accommodation.

The Ben-my-Chree became a back-up vessel to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's newest vessel, the Manxman, when it entered service in August 2023.

During Tuesday's sitting, Chris Thomas MHK questioned the potential costs presented by Allinson and said an independent evaluation of the of the numbers provided should be carried out.

Thomas asked what work would be needed to bring it up to "modern standards", arguing the vessel was not "elderly".

'Remaining lifespan'

Allinson told members a complete upgrade of the back-up vessel's propulsion system would cost between £8m and £10m, and the existing life saving equipment "ideally should be replaced", which would cost about £2m.

To "align with standards" on the Manannan and Manxman vessels, the passenger accommodation needed to be upgraded at a cost of about £3.5m, he said.

The lift was "dated, slow and increasingly unreliable", and replacing it would cost approximately £1.5m, and the existing life saving equipment should "ideally" be replaced", which would cost £2m, the minister explained.

He said a further £1m would be needed to replace the antifoul paint system, which protects the underwater surfaces of the ship, and updates to control systems would require £250,000 of spending.

Although the upgrades would result in a more reliable and efficient vessel, the cost would "exceed the vessel's end value and would not be recoverable over its remaining lifespan", Allinson said.

The ferry had provided a "very good service", but most would accept it was "now getting old" and the quality of the accommodation and other passenger facilities were not up to the standards of the other Steam Packet craft, he added.