Manannan to undergo repairs after eight-hour crossing

Tue, 24 Oct 2017

The Manannan will be undergoing repairs after a technical problem meant ferry passengers heading from the Island to Liverpool spent almost eight hours at sea yesterday.

The Steam Packet Company's fastcraft left Douglas at 2.46pm, but a problem with the vessel meant it didn't get to the Merseyside port until 10.30pm.

The operator says the Manannan suffered a failure to a component in the ride control system, meaning she had to complete the journey on reduced power.

The vessel wasn't allowed to approach the Mersey channel without assistance from a tug as a result of the problem, but the tug was delayed, preventing the Manannan from arriving until 10.30pm.

As a result, the return crossing didn't leave Liverpool until 11.30pm, getting back to Douglas at 4am still on reduced power.

The vessel isn't scheduled to operate again for two days, giving engineers time to fix the problem.