Overnight Isle of Man ferry sailings suspended

The Manannan began daytime sailings between Douglas and Heysham on Thursday

Overnight ferry sailings between the Isle of Man and Lancashire have been suspended until the end of the month as the Ben-my-Chree undergoes repairs.

Morning crossings from Douglas to Heysham and their afternoon returns are now being serviced by the fastcraft Manannan until 31 March.

Scheduled repairs to the Ben-my-Chree were due to take place after the TT in June but were brought forward.

MV Arrow will carry out freight journeys.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said the decision to bring forward the scheduled repairs was to alleviate any pressure on schedules around the arrival of the new Manxman ferry.

It came after a gearbox fault was found during testing of the £78m vessel, which will become the island's main service.

The Manannan itself is currently undergoing some internal refurbishment works, which a spokesman for the firm said could not be completed in time for the vessel's return to service due to the complexity of the work and "global supply chain challenges".

Staff were "working tirelessly to minimise any disruption to our passengers", he added.

The fastcraft will begin its seasonal daily sailings to Liverpool when the Ben-my-Chree returns to service.