Back-up ferry out on charter for freight journeys

The Ben-my-Chree was retained as a back-up passenger and freight vessel for the island

A former flagship passenger ferry has been chartered to a Swedish operator to help with a freight backlog.

The Ben-my-Chree was retained by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company as a back-up vessel when the Manxman was brought into service in August 2023.

The government-owned firm has now confirmed it has been charted by Stena Line for a minimum of 14 days to carry out trips between Heysham and Dublin.

The Steam Packet said the MV Arrow would be available for the island and the Ben-my-Chree could be called back if needed during the period.

The charter, which started on 16 December, was to help Stena Line manage its response to the temporary closure of Holyhead Port.

'Strategic resilience'

The Steam Packet said the Manxman would run as usual on its scheduled Heysham, Belfast and Liverpool services while the MV Arrow would operate additional freight sailings during the Christmas period.

The Steam Packet said current provisions provided "strategic resilience" during a busy period for Manx businesses, and would ensure "lifeline services are delivered".

There was an option to extend the charter if it was required, and Ben-my-Chree would be operated by Steam Packet staff during the charter, it said.

In October, plans for ferry-operator CalMac to charter the 125m (410 ft) Ben-my-Chree to help relieve pressure on Scotland's West coast ferry services were abandoned following unsuccessful berthing trials.

The Steam Packet said the charter was "compliant" with the Sea Services Agreement, and included the ability to recall the vessel to the Steam Packet with four days' notice "if required at any point".

The firm previously said it wanted to sell the back-up vessel due to the high costs of retaining it, but was awaiting a decision from the government on the issues.