Isle of Man pauses the purchase of a Manannan replacement

The BBC reported on 9 November 2026 that 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. Manannan, which operates summer services to and from Liverpool, is almost 30 years old.

Chief Minister Chris Thomas 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”. He said it was important to buy “a vessel that suits the harbour” and not “make the harbour suit the vessel”. A caption in the report says Thomas said the Steam Packet agreed to pause the purchase of a new vessel. He said a frequently asked questions document was due to be published “imminently”.

The Steam Packet, which is owned by the Isle of Man government, has been approached for comment. The island’s main ferry, Manxman, has been out of service since July for repair work, and the back-up vessel Ben-my-Chree has spent several days undergoing maintenance. Thomas said “feelings built up in the Isle of Man that we should have purchased a vessel that suited the harbour”. He 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”.