Faulty fan unit sets off Manxman alarm

'At no point was anyone at risk' - Steam Packet

Smoke from a faulty fan unit led to passengers on the Manxman, en route to Douglas, being moved to a forward lounge on Saturday.

The Steam Packet’s flagship vessel was less than an hour out of Heysham when the smoke was detected.

A statement from the Steam Packet Company says: 'The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company can confirm its crew responded to a report of smoke detected onboard Manxman during passage on Saturday, 5 April.

'The crew activated response procedures and initiated a temporary evacuation of affected areas, including the bar and some passenger cabins and lounges, to forward passenger lounges.

'The source of the smoke was determined to be a faulty fan unit which was isolated and determined to pose no danger to passengers, crew or vessel.

'Passengers were kept informed throughout the process and at no point was anyone at risk.'

Managing Director Brian Thomson says: 'Safety is always our number one priority. Our crews practise for situations such as this and I’m very proud of the professionalism and speed of their actions.

'While no one was in any danger on this occasion, it is vitally important that we treat any report as serious and instigate our procedures as we did.'

But one of those on board, Roy Hall, says it was still a worrying experience: