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Infrastructure Minister wants better sea services deal

Mon, 10 Jul 2017

The Infrastructure Minister believes Tynwald should reject the Steam Packet Company's offer to extend it's current sea services deal.

The operator wants to have exclusive use of the King Edward Pier Linkspan in exchange for committing to investing in new ships, offering more travel discounts and increasing passenger and freight capacity.

Ray Harmer will ask Tynwald to note the offer, but also believes the Department should continue negotiating with the company.

The Minister hopes the Department will be able to continue considering all other options to find a more effective solution.

The Steam Packet's current user agreement runs until 2020, with the company and the Government both able to trigger a six-year extension.

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