Silting and low tides at Heysham lead to Manx ferry disruption

The Manxman makes two return journeys between the Douglas and Heysham each day

Ferry passengers have been warned to expect changes to sailing schedules this month as result of low tides and silting in Heysham Port.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said bad weather winter weather had added to the problem and there would be "insufficient clearance" at low water.

Passengers affected would be contacted, the firm said.

Peel Ports, which owns the Lancashire facilities, said dredging had been brought forward to address the problem.

Sailings between Douglas and Heysham operate twice daily, with daytime sailings usually departing the locations at 08:45 and 14:00 GMT respectively.

The evening sailing from the island's capital to the Lancashire port ordinarily departs at 19:45, with its overnight return setting sail at 02:15.

Dredging work at Heysham Port has been brought forward to next week

The Steam Packet said: "Once again, the recent bad winter weather has led to added silting at Heysham Port.

"This has now coincided with low tides around scheduled arrival and departure times."

It had therefore been forced to make changes to the schedule "in order to comply with safety requirements as there is too little water to carry out berthing operations safely", it said.

The company was in contact with the ports operators "to mitigate this problem and limit disruptions going forward", it added.

Peel Ports said: "The port has brought forward it's scheduled dredging campaign which will commence next week and is expected to address the current water depth issues."

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