The Isle of Man Government has paused the purchase of a replacement for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's fast ferry Manannan until dredging problems at Douglas harbour are resolved, Chief Minister Chris Thomas said on Monday, November 9.
Thomas said the government-owned operator had agreed to the pause. "The purchase of the new vessel is on pause until we deal with [the dredging] issues," he told BBC News.
He said the island should obtain "a vessel that suits the harbour" rather than, "make the harbour suit the vessel".
Referring to the company's newest ferry, Manxman, he said, "feelings built up in the Isle of Man that we should have purchased a vessel that suited the harbour".
Thomas also said "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". He said a document containing frequently asked questions would be published imminently.
Manannan, a highspeed Ro-Pax catamaran built in Tasmania in 1998, operates the summer Douglas–Liverpool service. The company's public consultation stated that its replacement was due to join the fleet in 2030.
Ro-Pax ferry Manxman has been out of service since July for propulsion shaft repairs, with the operator targeting a return from the end of November. Back-up ferry Ben-my-Chree was temporarily withdrawn in early November for urgent stern-door maintenance.
In April, the island's then infrastructure minister told the House of Keys that Boskalis Westminster had been engaged to remove a raised area in the central basin of Douglas Outer Harbour to approximately six to 6.5 metres.
