MANXMAN during its first dry-docking in Birkenhead, where the propeller shafts were removed. © Isle of Man Steam Packet Company

Steam Packet Company provides update on progress and costs of repairs to MANXMAN

FerryThe Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has provided an update on the progress of repairs to the companys flagship MANXMAN following the discovery of wear on propulsion shafts and associated components during a routine dry docking in July.

As previously reported, the shafts, liners and bearings were removed from the vessel and transported to Marine Shaft, a specialist engineering firm in Denmark. Both of the vessel's propeller shafts have now arrived in the Balaena Birkenhead shipyard from Denmark. The next step will be to fit the propeller components onto the shafts, a process which will take place in the shipyard ahead of the dry docking. MANXMAN will then enter the dry dock on 15 October.

Once in dry dock the complex process of reinstallation of the shafts, bearings and completion of other external works will begin, with the target of completing inspections, sea trials and return to service from the end of November.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company notified back in July the Treasury in the local government, as its shareholder, that repair costs would exceed GBP 2.5 million, the level at which shareholder consent is required.

According to the operator, that was a consent notification, not a request for funding nor a precise cost estimate. The current estimate for the total cost of the dry docking and repair works is in the region of GBP 5 million. These costs are being met by the Company directly from its own reserves, without recourse to Government funding.

“We’re extremely conscious at all times of our position as both a publicly owned entity and a vital link in the Isle of Man’s infrastructure. Prudent financial planning is a cornerstone of how we manage the business, always operating within our means. Therefore, we always ensure there are contingency funds to cover unforeseen eventualities such as this,” says Brian Thomson, Managing Director of The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

“The Company has commissioned an independent report into the causes of the wear and will be seeking to recover costs through insurance and warranty where appropriate. We look forward to bringing updates on the completion of works and the return to service of our flagship,” he says in a statement specifically addressed to the population of the Isle of Man.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company took delivery of 24,161 GT MANXMAN from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea in 2023.

In contrast to the clear trend in recent years toward shared design platforms for new RoPax tonnage from Chinese shipyards, MANXMAN is a unique vessel in every respect, highly specialized to meet the operator's needs on the route between Douglas and Heysham - a route where vessels calling at the port of Heysham are subject to so-called "Heysham-Max" dimensional constraints.