Manxman ferry

The 2023-built MV Manxman is a passenger ferry constructed in South Korea at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan. She is owned by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Ltd, the UK’s and the world’s oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company.

MV Manxman operates the Isle of Man–England route Douglas-Heysham (approx 93 NM / 110 mi / 170 km) with a crossing time of about 3 hours 45 minutes. Seasonally, she may also serve routes connecting Douglas with Ireland (Belfast, Dublin) and with England (Liverpool).

The vessel (IMO number 9917244) sails under the UK flag (MMSI 232041396) and is registered in Douglas, Isle of Man.

She was ordered on July 30, 2020, at a contract price of GBP 78 million (~EUR 86.6M / USD 97.5M). Manxman became the flagship of the Steam Packet fleet, replacing the 1998-built Ben-My-Chree (IMO 9170705) on the Douglas-Heysham service.

Compared with Ben-my-Chree, Manxman offers ~10% more cargo capacity (300 vs 275 freight units/vehicles) and ~30% more passenger capacity (949 vs 630). She has a summer deadweight of 5000 tons and a maximum draught of 5.3 m (17 ft).

The powerplant consists of four Wartsila 31 diesel engines (two 10-cylinder and two 8-cylinder) with AI- and machine-learning-based remote maintenance systems, delivering a total output of 20.8 MW.

This is the third Steam Packet vessel named Manxman. Her predecessors were HMS Manxman (launched 1904/scrapped 1949; TSS/Turbine Steam Ship, ID 118603; built by Vickers), which also served in both World Wars (commissioned as HMS Manxman in April 1916 and as HMS Caduceus in October 1941), and RMS Manxman (launched 1955/scrapped 2012; TSS, IMO 5219943; built by Cammell Laird, in service 1955–1982; maiden voyage May 21, 1955, Douglas–Liverpool).

Shipboard facilities and amenities

In October 2019, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (IoMSPCo) issued a tender to shipbuilders worldwide for the new ferry.

In November 2019, Island Global Research (St Peter Port, Guernsey) was contracted to conduct an online survey on preferred onboard facilities and services. Between January and April 2020, 8470 responses were collected (5173 Isle of Man residents and 3297 off-island customers). Yard visits followed in February–March 2020, leading to Hyundai Mipo Dockyard’s selection in July 2020.

The New Vessel Survey results, published in April 2020, highlighted the following passenger priorities:

• Quiet Lounge/relaxation areas
• Cafe (separate from seating areas)
• Cinema Lounge
• Children’s Play Area for wider age groups
• Additional Premium, Standard, and Pet-Friendly Cabins
• More tables in standard, reserved (Niarbyl), and Pet Lounges
• More hot beverage and snack points near seating
• Expanded Premium and Pet Lounges
• Dedicated bar area
• Wider food and beverage selection
• More USB charging/power outlets
• Improved public restrooms
• Larger vehicle/cargo lifts
• Water fountains and recycling points
• Onboard movie streaming and priority boarding
• Expanded duty-free shopping

The design was developed by Houlder Naval Architects, built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, and supervised by Sea Quest Marine Project Management.

Key onboard facilities include:

NIARBYL RESERVED LOUNGE – Bow-facing reserved seating available online or onboard (subject to availability). Seat prices: GBP 7/9 per crossing (one way).

PREMIUM LOUNGE – A panoramic lounge with dedicated service, complimentary drinks and snacks, reading materials, blankets, and USB charging points. Seat prices: GBP 22/27 per crossing (one way).

Children’s Play Area – Indoor playground with large TV and supervised activities by trained staff.

More details on staterooms and deck plans will be added soon.

Cabins

Cabin categories include Standard, Premium, and Pet-Friendly, with wheelchair-accessible options available.

Standard Cabins – 4-berth rooms with en-suite bathrooms (WC, washbasin), TV, coffee/tea facilities (capsules and bags provided), and room service.

Premium Cabins – 4-berth rooms with TV, DVD player, mini-fridge (snacks and drinks), and reading materials.

Pet Cabins – 4-berth rooms with linoleum flooring and standard amenities.

All cabins feature two lower and two upper bunk beds, power outlets, a small table, bedding, towels, and toiletries.

Standard Cabin prices: GBP 65–78 (daytime), GBP 80–96 (night-time).

Premium Cabin prices: GBP 75/90 (daytime), GBP 90/108 (night-time).

Pet Cabins: Additional GBP 15/18 per animal each way.

Advance online booking is recommended.

Cabin cost

Standard daytime cabins are available for Douglas departures (8:45 am, 7:45 pm) and Heysham departures (2:15 pm). Night cabins are available for Heysham’s 2:15 am sailing.

Note: Prices are per cabin, not per person.

Shipowner (Isle of Man Steam Packet Company)

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Ltd (founded 1830, government-owned since 2018) is locally known in Manx Gaelic as "Sheshaght Phaggad Bree Ellan Vannin".

The company operates Ro-Pax services between Douglas and Heysham year-round, with seasonal routes to Liverpool (March–November) and Ireland (April–September) – Belfast and Dublin.

In 2023, IoMSPCo carried more than 623,000 passengers (27,000 more than in 2022) and 196,000 vehicles (3,500 more than in 2022). The company’s record year was 2007, with 632,942 passengers and 197,745 vehicles.

Shipbuilder (Hyundai Mipo Dockyard)

Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (founded 1975) is among the world’s largest shipbuilders, launching about 70 vessels annually.

In 2007, HMD ranked 4th globally by CGT (over 1 million). The company focuses mainly on shipbuilding (~96%) with some conversion and repair (~4%).

HMD is a subsidiary of HD Hyundai (founded 2017, rebranded in 2022 from Hyundai Heavy Industries Group).

The yard builds container ships, product carriers, bulk and liquid cargo ships, ferries, drillships, FPSOs, cable/pipe-laying vessels, and AHTS (anchor handling tug supply vessels, also used for emergency response and rescue).

For detailed construction milestones, see the ship’s Wiki page.