Steam Packet announces three-vessel schedule and additional Ireland sailings

Timetable for 2026/27 utilises Ben-my-Chree and increases volume of Heysham and Liverpool sailings

The Steam Packet has announced it will be operating a regular, three-vessel schedule outside of the TT for the first time in more than 15 years.

In the newly-unveiled schedule for 2026/27, Ben-my-Chree will pilot passenger and freight services to Ireland - including to Dublin and Larne - leaving Manannan and Manxman free to increase the number of crossings to Liverpool and Heysham.

The timetable will go live tomorrow morning at 9:30am (21 November) and runs up to late May 2027. 

The ferry operator says Manannan’s Liverpool schedule will feature additional daytime sailings through the summer months and it will maintain two sailings a day into early September, and there will also be the opportunity to expand the number of sailings in September if demand is there, it says.

Manxman will run exclusively to Heysham in peak season, but will take up the reins of the Liverpool weekend sailings between November and the end of March.

Extended initiatives and Ben-my-Chree upgrades

The Steam Packet says it's been able to announce this enhanced schedule due to the popularity of the winter Liverpool day trips, while to ensure the new schedule doesn't impact freight patterns, Ben-my-Chree will provide support to Manxman on the Heysham route where appropriate.

The company says passenger volumes have increased throughout 2025 thanks to initiatives launched in October 2024 such as the 10 percent reduction in so-called ‘Flexi’ fares and allowing all children under the age of 16 to travel for free - initiatives it is now extending. 

It is also planning a substantial interior refurbishment of Ben-my-Chree to 'modernise the public areas and enhance facilities' for passengers using the routes to Ireland.

This, it adds, will ensure all of the public areas on the company’s vessels meet modern standards, with Manannan’s lounges having been refurbished during the winters of 2023/4 and 24/5.

"Use it or lose it"

Steam Packet Managing Director Brian Thomson says: ‘Following on from the pricing initiatives unveiled last year, the growth in ferry travel has been very positive. We’re committed to supporting a growth agenda for the Isle of Man and we feel this is the good use of our resources to do that.’ 

‘My team has worked very hard on pulling together the business case for the increased services to our neighbouring islands and we want to make a success out of this. We, as a Company, are investing heavily in growing our business and, as a result, the economic and social opportunities for the Isle of Man.’

‘What I would say though, is this is a case of use it or lose it. We cannot, as a Company, afford to back an initiative that loses money over the long term. We’re making a two-year commitment to the new routes to Ireland today. We’ll be giving it our best shot and we’re looking for support from the business community and residents of the Isle of Man to make sure it succeeds.’