MV ''Manxman'' is a new-build ro-pax ferry which entered service with the

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Limited (abbreviated to IoMSPCo or, locally, The Steam Packet ()) is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world, having been founded in 1830. The company provides freight, p ...

(IoMSPCo) on 17 August 2023.

Construction and delivery

The ship was ordered on 31 July 2020 and was built by the

Hyundai Mipo Dockyard HD Hyundai Mipo (abbreviated: HMD; ) is one of the largest shipbuilding companies with the world's largest share (50%) in PC (Product Carrier) segment. Since the 1980s, more than 10,000 ships were repaired and converted until 2005 and 400 newly ...

Ulsan Ulsan (; ), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighbo ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, being laid down on 24 December 2021. Construction commenced in the summer of 2021. On 1 December 2020, following a naming competition, it was announced that the ship would be named ''Manxman'', the third vessel in the history of the line to bear the name.

Sea trials

''Manxman'' started her first sea trials in December 2022. However, during the course of the trials a significant fault was found in the ship's gearbox. This necessitated a return to the shipyard where the gearbox was replaced. The Sea Trials resumed in April and were carried out over the course of ten days in the

Korea Strait The Korea Strait is a strait, sea passage in East Asia between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It connects the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by Tsushima Island into two par ...

between South Korea and the Japanese island of Tsushima. The trials involved various tests on the vessel's maneuverability, speed and fuel consumption, with the tests proving satisfactory.

Naming ceremony

On May 3, 2023, ''Manxman'' officially received her name during a ceremony held at the Mipo Dockyard, the christening being performed by Geraldine Ugland. As is Isle of Man Steam Packet Company tradition, the name has been painted in gold and will remain so for the first year of her service.

Delivery

At 02:40 GMT, 11:40 local time, on 11 May 2023, ''Manxman'' was officially handed over when Chairman of the Board of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Lars Ugland, signed the official documentation to complete the transfer of ownership on behalf of the Company. On Saturday May 13, under the command of Captain Andy Atkinson, ''Manxman'' departed South Korea en route to

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

for additional fitting out prior to her commencement of service. The delivery voyage of approximately 12,000

miles The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English f ...

was originally planned to stage via

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

and

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

prior to transiting the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

, and then to

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

and England. However, an alteration en route resulted in the stop at Gibraltar being cancelled, and thus ''Manxman'' made passage through the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

via

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

which was her last port of call prior to reaching Southampton. ''Manxman'' arrived at the pilot station off

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

at 08:15 GMT on Sunday July 2. She was boarded by the senior

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

for the Port of Douglas,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Stephen Carter, before she proceeded to No. 5 Berth, King Edward VIII Pier. The occasion marked Capt. Carter's final duty prior to his retirement.

Welcoming ceremony

Foremost of the celebrations around ''Manxman's'' arrival was her official welcoming ceremony, which took place at Douglas on Sunday July 9. The ceremony was performed by Janice McDowall, Manageress of IoMSPCo's Liverpool Terminal. The formalities were streamed live to a big screen which had been constructed on

Douglas Head Douglas Head (Manx: ''Kione Ghoolish'') is a rocky point on the Isle of Man overlooking Douglas Harbour, Douglas Bay and harbour. Views extend to include Snaefell Mountain and Laxey. General Until 1870, the headland was owned by The Nunnery, ...

, in addition to which the company's Managing Director, Brian Thomson, made a speech on the quayside, and at 11:15 local time the traditional champagne bottle was broken onto ''Manxman’s'' bow. The occasion also saw the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man,

Alfred Cannan Alfred Louis Cannan (born 20 January 1968), Member of the House of Keys (MHK), is a Manx politician and independent Member of the House of Keys for Ayre & Michael. He has served as the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man since 12 October 2021 ...

MHK, given a guided tour of the ship. The festivities concluded with a firework display in Douglas Bay and a sail past by ''Manxman.''

Service

Following arrival at her home port, ''Manxman'' spent a period undergoing operating drills and docking procedures at the Port of Douglas. Part of this prelude to working up to operational efficiency saw ''Manxman'' make her first visit to the Port of Heysham on 11 July 2023. ''Manxman'' commenced operational service on Thursday 17 August 2023 on the company's main schedule to Heysham, replacing . The Company will retain ''Ben-my-Chree'' on a standby basis, to be in service during busy periods or when ''Manxman'' undergoes routine overhaul.

Incident

On 1 March 2025 the vessel ran aground while docking in Douglas Harbour due to a lower-than-expected tide. After thorough examination no damage was found, though a precautionary diver inspection would be carried out later. Her evening sailing departed with a two-hour delay.

References

2022 ships Ferries of the Isle of Man Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Ships built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Group {{ferry-stub