The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Limited[1] (abbreviated to IoMSPCo or, locally, The Steam Packet (Manx: Phaggad Bree Ellan Vannin)[2] is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world, having been founded in 1830.
There had been various shipping companies serving the Isle of Man before the formation of this company in 1830, but their crossings were irregular and vessels used were unreliable. As a result, the island could be cut off for weeks at a time.
Isle of Man Steam Packet Poster.
The Manx people felt it was essential they should have their own dedicated service. A meeting was held in Douglas in 1829, from which was formed a committee charged investigating the cost of acquiring a steam packet.
On 30 June 1830, the forerunner of today's Isle of Man Steam Packet Company was born when the brand new vessel, Mona's Isle, built at a cost of £7,250, sailed from Douglas to Liverpool on its very first sailing. From the inauguration of the service until January 1832, the company was known as the Mona's Isle Company. Briefly the company then traded as the Isle of Man United Steam Packet, before assuming its present name in July 1832.
During the First World War, eleven out of a total fleet of fifteen Steam Packet ships were requisitioned by the Admiralty. Four of them were lost, three retained by the government and four returned to service. Ben-my-Chree and the Midland Railways' Manxman (purchased by IOMSPC in 1920) also served as aircraft/seaplane carriers.[4]
In the Second World War, ten of the fleet of sixteen ships were commandeered for active duty, four of which were lost. The Dunkirk evacuation was perhaps the company's finest hour, with Mona's Isle (IV) being the first to leave Dover and the first to complete the round trip during the evacuation. Eight company ships took part in this mission, rescuing a total of 24,699 British troops – one in fourteen of those evacuated from Dunkirk. However this was also the company's blackest day, as three of the line's ships were lost:
Mona's Queen (III) pictured shortly after she struck a mine on the approach to Dunkirk, 29 May 1940.
Fenella, sunk by air attack whilst berthed alongside Dunkirk's East Pier on 29 May;
King Orry, sustained heavy damage following several air attacks on 29 May, and sank off the beaches in the early hours of 30 May.[4]
The anchor from Mona's Queen (III) was raised as part of the 70th anniversary commemoration of Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk. It is sited at Kallow Point in Port St Mary as a memorial to the company's crew who took part in the war.[5]
The 1980s were tough times for the company, with declining passenger numbers. Strong competition from Manx Line's Manx Viking brought them close to collapse. In February 1985, they announced a merger with Sealink who had, by now, taken over Manx Line.[6] The main UK port switched from Liverpool to Heysham, thus ending (albeit temporarily as it turned out) an association lasting back to the company's origins.
In 1996, the Steam Packet Company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sea Containers headed by James Sherwood, who had pioneered the fast-craft operation. In July 2003, the company was sold for £142 million to Montagu Private Equity.[7] In 2005, the company was purchased by Macquarie Bank for £225 million.[8]
On 3 February 2007, Sea Express 1 (formerly SeaCat Isle of Man) collided with the cargo ship Alaska Rainbow in heavy fog in the River Mersey. None of the 294 passengers and crew was hurt, and the ferry was moored at Liverpool Pier Head while water was being pumped from the engine room, a number of cars remained on board. She was later towed to the Cammell Laird basin in Birkenhead where all cars remaining aboard were offloaded. On 14 March 2007, the Sea Express 1 was relaunched. In the meantime alternative service was provided by Ben-my-Chree to Birkenhead during the weekends. In December 2007, the vessel was renamed to become the sixth Snaefell.
Ben-my-Chree entering Douglas Harbour
In June 2007, a new CEO, Mark Woodward, was appointed to succeed Hamish Ross; he promised to improve the company's services, to return to the classic livery, and to promote the island's culture.
As the first part of the rebranding, the Sea Express 1 and SuperSeaCat Two were renamed Snaefell and Viking respectively; the latter was later sold and operated for the Atlantico Line as Hellenic Wind.
The fleet received a brand new livery, replacing the old SeaCo livery. All vessels of the fleet underwent complete internal refits which reflected the company's new colours and the rebranding of the company's on board lounges. The terminals received new signage and new uniforms were made for crew and shore staff.
The company's first class lounge and members club were renamed: 1st Lounge became the Premium Lounge and the Blue Riband Club became the Executive Club. The Quiet Lounge was also renamed, becoming the Niarbyl Reserved Lounge.
On 26 March 2010, while embarking passengers and loading vehicles at Heysham, England, the ro-ro passenger ferry Ben-my-Chree moved approximately eight metres (9 yards) along the quayside, causing serious damage to the passenger access structure. The foot-passenger walkway detached at both ends and collapsed onto the quayside, and the gangway detached from the vessel's side shell door and was left hanging on a single rope. There were no injuries. Eight passengers were trapped in the gangway compartment of the shore structure and were later rescued by the local fire service.[9]
On 1 November 2010, it was reported on the Isle of Man Newspapers website, that the Steam Packet had lost two major freight customers to rival company Mezeron who had just set up a new freight service between Douglas and Liverpool a week or so earlier. In February 2011 Mezeron withdrew the service citing lack of growth in the market. Previously the Steam Packet Company had reported a loss of 15% of its total freight business to Mezeron.
In April 2011, it was announced that the company had new owners Banco Espírito Santo.[10] In May 2018, it was confirmed that the Isle of Man Government had agreed a deal worth £124 million to purchase 100% of MIOM Ltd, the parent company of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.[11] The deal was approved by Tynwald on 16 May 2018.[12][7]
In early 2013, Sea Alliance announced plans for a new shipping company to serve the Isle of Man.[13] The company planned to use a 32-year-old vessel Cometa.[14] However the venture failed and nothing has been heard since.
Current services
Motorcyclists on the Manannan from Liverpool
In return for exclusive use of the government linkspan at Douglas, the Steam Packet Company has guaranteed regular services to the Manx government. Ben-my-Chree, Manxman and Manannan provide regular services to England and Ireland.
In addition to the regular routes, the company operates a few special day excursions to other destinations or round the Isle of Man in summer. Extra sailings are scheduled at times of high demand such as the Isle of Man TT period. The company also operates its own in-house travel agency, Steam Packet Holidays.
In August 2017, the company announced a consultation to switch sailings from Belfast to Larne, to allow sailings to carry freight, motorhomes and coaches which could not be loaded at Belfast's Albert Quay.[15]
The Steam Packet Company operates services between:
Douglas - Heysham (Year-round service)
Douglas - Liverpool (Seasonal service - March to November)
Douglas - Belfast (Seasonal service - April to September & Christmas)
Douglas - Dublin (Seasonal service - April to September)
The company operates three vessels[Now 4]: a year-round conventional RO-PAX vessel, a fastcraft which operates seasonally, and a RO-RO freighter. The freighter is available for use when required, and is otherwise often on short-term charter to other operators throughout the year.
Douglas–Heysham (year-round) Douglas–Belfast (seasonal) Douglas - Liverpool (Winter-Only)
Fleet Flagship
In August 2020, the company ordered a new ferry from South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard to replace Ben-my-Chree upon delivery in 2023.[16] The new ship is the Manxman.[17] In September 2022 it was announced that Arrow had been purchased from Seatruck Ferries after being on long-term charter.[18]
Historic fleet
The company started with wooden paddle steamers, which soon gave way to the steel "screw" vessels. The "screw" vessels were superseded by turbine steamers, the first being the 1905 SSViking. The company then replaced the passenger-only steamers with side-loading car ferries, the first diesel car ferry being the 1972 Mona's Queen (V). Fastcraft then became the next generation of vessels to operate for the company, the first being the SeaCat Isle of Man.
Pre-war steamers
The company built five steamers over ten years from 1927. They were the replacements for the various second-hand steamers that the company purchased to replace its First World War losses.
A class of vessel derived from pre-war steamers Fenella and Tynwald affectionately known as the Six Sisters. These were all built by Cammell Laird in Birkenhead and were in service between 1946 and 1982. They operated from Douglas to various ports. No two vessels were identical and all had their own (albeit minor) differences. The last vessel to be withdrawn was Manxman in 1982. At the time it was the last vessel of its type in service in the British Isles. Despite preservation attempts the vessel was finally scrapped in 2012.
The company developed a design of side-loading car ferries, with a spiral ramp at the stern. These could operate (as car ferries) from ports which were not equipped with linkspans. This design is still unique to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company today. They operated from Douglas to various ports.
Sold for further use as Panagia Soumela Scrapped at Aliaga in 2011
Roll-on/roll-off ferries
The company has operated a number of roll-on/roll-off passenger and freight ferries in its history, the pioneering vessel being the Peveril [IV] in 1981, in response to Manx Line's Manx Viking.
The MV Manx Viking / Nindawayma was a passenger, truck and car ferry, whose last active service was on Lake Huron, operated by the Owen Sound Transportation Company; under contract to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. In Canadian service she served the Highway 6 route between Tobermory and South Baymouth, Manitoulin Island from 1989 to 1992 alongside the MS Chi-Cheemaun.
TSS Manxman was a passenger ferry launched from the Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead, on 8 February 1955. She was the final vessel in a class of six similar ships, the Six Sisters, ordered by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and was the second of the Company's ships to carry this name. She was withdrawn from service in 1982. Following a failed preservation attempt, and featuring in a music video in the process, the ship was broken up at Sunderland in 2012.
MV Ben-my-Chree is a Ro-Pax vessel which was launched and entered service in 1998. The flagship of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, she primarily operated on the Douglas to Heysham route until replaced by MV Manxman in late 2023.
TSS Manxman was a turbine steamship launched in 1904 for the Midland Railway and operated between Heysham and Douglas, Isle of Man. In 1916, she was commissioned by the Royal Navy as HMS Manxman and saw action as a seaplane carrier during the First World War, after which she was acquired by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. On the outbreak of the Second World War she was again requisitioned as a troop ship, until she was commissioned and her name changed to HMS Caduceus. She never returned to Manx waters, and was scrapped in August 1949.
MS Lady of Mann (II) was a side-loading car ferry built in 1976 for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and operated on the Douglas–Liverpool crossing. She served the company for 29 years. In 2005, she was converted to a Roll-on/roll-off ferry and was operated by SAOS Ferries in Greece under the name MS Panagia Soumela until she was scrapped in August 2011.
HSC Manannan is a 96-metre (315 ft) wave-piercing high-speed catamaran car ferry built by Incat, Australia in 1998. After commercial service in Australia and New Zealand, she was chartered to the US military as Joint Venture (HSV-X1). Now owned and operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, she mainly provides a seasonal service between Douglas Harbour and Port of Liverpool.
TSS (RMS) Ben-my-Chree (III) No. 118605 – the third vessel in the company's history to be so named – was a passenger steamer operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company between 1908 and 1915. Ben-my-Chree was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1915 and converted to a seaplane carrier; commissioned as HMS Ben-my-Chree, she was sunk by Turkish batteries on 11 January 1917.
TSS (RMS) Ben-my-Chree (IV) No. 145304 – the fourth vessel in the company's history to be so named – was a passenger ferry operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company between 1927 and 1965.
TSS Mona’s Isle V, the fifth ship in the line's history to bear the name, was a passenger vessel operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company from 1951 to 1980. She was the last of the company's ships to use low pressure turbines.
TSS (RMS) Manx Maid (II) was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead in 1962, and was the second ship in the Company's history to bear the name.
TSS (RMS) Lady of Mann, was a passenger ship, built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company at Barrow-in-Furness in 1930, at a cost of £249,073. Certificated to carry 2,873 passengers and 81 crew, she was commissioned to operate on the Island's busy Douglas–Liverpool and Douglas–Fleetwood routes, and had a maximum speed of 23 knots. Her hull was at first the company's conventional black, but was changed to white and green in 1933, only to revert to black after her war service.
TSS (RMS) Ben-my-Chree (V) was the second of four side-loading car ferries ordered by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Built in 1965, she was the last of their vessels designed with two classes of passenger accommodation and the fifth company vessel to bear the name. She operated until 1984 and was broken up in 1989. Fitted with steam turbines, she was the last steam powered vessel built for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.
SS (RMS) Tynwald (III), No. 95755, was an iron passenger steamer which served with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and was the third vessel in the Company to bear the name.
SS (RMS) Mona's Isle (I) was the first vessel ordered for service with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company when it began its operation in 1830. No Official number is recorded for the vessel, as formal registration was not introduced until the Merchant Shipping Act 1854.
SS (RMS) Queen of the Isle was a paddle steamer which was constructed by Robert Napier & Co. Glasgow. No Official number is recorded for the vessel, as formal registration was not introduced until the Merchant Shipping Act 1854.
The Laxey Towing Company Ltd is a privately owned marine salvage company incorporated in the Isle of Man. Its registered office is Clovenstones Cottage, Baldrine, with its company offices situated at 30, North Quay, Douglas, Isle of Man. The company operates under the managerial directorship of Captain Stephen Carter, providing pilotage facilities for the Port of Douglas and has over many years operated a wide variety of services throughout the harbours of the Isle of Man. Up to 2017 it also operated summer coastal cruises on board the pleasure cruiser, MV Karina.
William Gill was a Manx merchant navy officer who served as commanding officer of numerous Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels. Gill was the first recognised captain of the line, retiring with the rank of Commodore.
SS (RMS) Viking was a steel, triple-screw turbine-driven passenger steamer operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company between 1905 and 1954.
The St George Steam Packet Company – also referred to as the Liverpool and Isle of Man Steam Packet Company or the St George Steamship Company – was a privately owned maritime transportation company incorporated in 1821. In the early 1840s the business was acquired by the Cork Steamship Company.
MVManxman is a new-build Ro-pax ferry which entered service with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (IoMSPCo) on 17 August 2023.
Basnett, Stan (2008). Ferries of the Isle of Man: 1945-Present Day (2nded.). Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN9781906608033.
Blackburn, Charles John; Leach, Frederic (1923). How the Manx Fleet helped in the Great War: The story of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Boats on service. Douglas, Isle of Man: L.G. Meyer. OCLC557031509.
Chappell, Connery (1980). Island Lifeline. Prescot, Merseyside, UK: T. Stephenson and Sons Ltd. ISBN090131420X.
Collard, Ian (2013). The Isle of Man Steam Packet through time. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: Amberley Publishing. ISBN9781445614281.
Cowsill, Miles; Hendy, John, eds. (2005). Steam Packet 175: 1830-2005: the official anniversary book of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Lily Publications. ISBN1871947774.
Cowsill, Miles; Basnett, Stan (2011). Steam Packet: the album. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Lily Publications. ISBN9781906608477.
Danielson, Richard (1996). So Strong and So Fair: Story of the Side-Loading Car Ferries of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and their people. Laxey, Isle of Man: Maritime Publications. ISBN0951315595.
Dearden, Steven; Hassell, Ken (1999). Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Ochiltree, Ayrshire, UK: Stenlake Publishing. ISBN1840330783.
Evans, Ron (December 1999). "The loss of the "Ellan Vannin"". Bulletin of the Liverpool Nautical Research Society. 43 (4): 1–11. OCLC841925080.
Evans, Ron (September 2000). "From short sea liner to blockade runner: a history of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's paddle steamer 'Douglas' (1) of 1858, as the Confederate blockade runner 'Margaret and Jessie', and as the Union Navy warship U.S.S. 'Gettysburg'". Bulletin of the Liverpool Nautical Research Society. 44 (2): 1–11. OCLC841928207.
Henry, Fred; O'Friel, F. B. (1977). Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. Ltd (4thed.). Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson. ISBN0851742823.
Howarth, Noel (1980). A Pictorial History of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Ships: 32 postcards. Brighton, UK: Motor-in-Mann Publications for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. OCLC224505681.
Moore, A.W. (2005) [1st. Pub. (1904) Manchester: R. Johnson and Sons, for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. Limited]. Historical account of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. Limited: 1830-1904. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. OCLC212430547.
Shepherd, John (1994). The life and times of the Steam Packet. Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire, Wales: Ferry Publications. ISBN1871947251.
"Widow Lady" or "Little Alice" (1881). Little Alice; or a narrative relating to the origin of the Isle of Man Steam-Packet Company. Isle of Man: The Author. OCLC223170020.
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