SPC defends Manxman cancellations

It's responded to some of the most commonly asked questions on social media

The Steam Packet's been defending its decision to cancel some of yesterday's Manxman sailings.

It's shared an article on its website answering some of the most common questions it saw on social media.

The comments have been responded to by Fleet Operations Manager James Royston and Tom Turner, who's one of the captains on Manxman and Ben-my-Chree.

Both were also involved in the design and build of the Manxman.

They say when a sailing is cancelled because of high winds, a number of factors are considered, particularly wind direction. 

For example, Heysham Port is more exposed when there's a north westerly wind, so 30 knots from the north west in Heysham would have a larger effect on the vessel than if it was 30 knots from the south west when there's shelter from the Nuclear Power station.

They also say they have access to more detailed weather data which isn't publicly accessible, which they use along with their local knowledge of the ports, to assess the forecast as well as the current weather conditions.

They add that, unlike the aviation industry, ships don’t have the luxury of assessing a ‘stable’ approach, then invoking a ‘go around’ if an unstable approach is determined, hence the manoeuvre is planned with a factor of contingency - a margin which ensures the vessel can safely berth with a sudden increase of wind (i.e. gusts/windshear).

Meanwhile, a number of other challenges have been responded to.

Mr Royston and Mr Turner say the maximum wind speed, per the risk assessments, for Ben-my-Chree to berth in Heysham is very similar to Manxman’s, and therefore, the Ben-my-Chree couldn’t sail if Manxman wouldn’t have been able to either.         

They've also confirmed that trials to dock the Manxman in Liverpool still haven't been carried out, which means it can't be used as an alternative route for the time being.

The Steam Packet is hoping to have more flexibility to consider Liverpool as an option in the future though, although it won't be possible to transport freight due to, they say, 'circumstances outside our control'.                 

They explain why the Manannan might be able to sail and not the Manxman, saying the wind conditions between Liverpool and Heysham can be very different, and that the layout of the land and buildings around the ports means they are affected more by different wind directions.

When asked if Manxman is too big for Heysham, Mr Royston says Manxman’s dimensions are based more on Douglas than Heysham, as Douglas is a smaller port. 

Manxman is 133m long but other vessels using Heysham are up to 147m long. 

He also adds it’s draught is pretty much the same as Ben-my-Chree’s and can be altered in port through the use of ballast tanks and the in-built stability sytem.

Responding to accusations that Manxman was a cancelled cruise ship, they say the vessel was designed and built specifically for the Steam Packet to a bespoke design, based on the requirements of the Sea Service Agreement and using input from customer surveys.

Finally, Mr Turner challenged claims that Manxman is not as precise or controllable as Ben-my-Chree.

He says, for a ship of Manxman's size, she's a sustainably powered and capable vessel in terms of propulsion and thrust, and that she has nearly twice the bow thruster power compared to the Ben.

He says Manxman also has special high lift rudders to aid with manoeuvrability.

You can read the full article here.