New ferry on hold until Douglas Harbour dredged

The purchase of a new vessel to replace the Isle of Man's fast-craft ferry, Manannan, has been put on hold until dredging work is completed, the chief minister has said.

It comes as the island's main ferry, Manxman, has been out of service since July for repair work, while the back-up vessel, Ben-my-Chree, has also spent several days undergoing maintenance.

Chief minister Chris Thomas, known as the Ard-Shirveishagh in Manx, said there had been "issues" with dredging at the harbour.

He said maintaining links to and from the island was a government priority and that "the purchase of the new vessel is on pause until we deal with [the dredging] issues".

The Manannan, which operates summer services to and from Liverpool each year, is almost 30 years old.

He said it was important to buy "a vessel that suits the harbour" and not "make the harbour suit the vessel".

Thomas said a frequently asked questions document was due to be published "imminently" and vowed to be transparent about the situation.

The Steam Packet, which is owned by the Isle of Man government, has been approached for comment.

Speaking about the ongoing issues with the Manxman, Thomas said "feelings built up in the Isle of Man that we should have purchased a vessel that suited the harbour".

He explained that "the bottom of the harbour surface is too close to where it should be, compared to where it appeared on charts 20 to 25 years ago".

But he said it was "an issue that we faced up to".

Describing it as part of an "open" approach to government, he added: "We need to fully explain how we ended up where we are.

"We need to be seen to be tackling the problem because we'll be judged as a government on how we tackle real people's problems.

"Getting on and off the island is one, and that's why it's a priority."

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