Bringing the Ben My Chree up to modern standards would cost around £18m, the Treasury Minister has revealed.

Dr Alex Allinson broke down the costs of renovating the popular vessel when asked about it at the House of Keys this week.

Douglas Central MHK Chris Thomas asked a number of questions to ministers at the sitting which including quizzing Dr Allinson on what work would be required to get the Ben My Chree to the standards of a modern ferry and what costs that would incur.

Dr Allinson said: ‘The Ben My Chree is currently operating with several outdated systems that impact its overall efficiency and reliability.

‘The current anti-foul paint system is old and inefficient. Upgrading to a more modern and efficient system would cost around £1m. The lift is dated, old and increasingly unreliable and replacing it would cost around £1.5m.

‘The existing life-saving equipment should ideally be replaced with modern rapid evacuation systems, similar to those on the Manannan and Manxman. This upgrade would cost around £2m.

‘Several control systems, including the alarm control and monitoring systems for machinery are in need of replacement. The cost of these replacements is £250,000.

‘The passenger accommodation requires an upgrade. The cost would be approximately £3.5m. A complete upgrade of the vessel’s propulsion system, including more efficient engines, propellors and thrusters, would improve fuel economy and reduce omissions. This upgrade would cost between £8-10m.’

Dr Allinson told the House the costs of upgrading the Ben My Chree would not be economical for the Steam Packet.

He said: ‘While these upgrades will result in a more reliable and efficient vessel with an improved passenger experience the total cost of approximately £18m would exceed the vessel’s end value and would not be recoverable over its remaining lifespan.’

Mr Thomas raised concerns that a previous inspection of the Ben My Chree in 2018 graded it as ‘well-maintained and in a presentable condition’ requiring merely ongoing maintenance. He asked whether the Steam Packet had damaged the vessel or not carried out adequate maintenance or how else had the grading gone down from a grading of good to poor.

Dr Allinson said things had changed since 2018 and the Ben My Chree was now being compared to the standards of the Manxman and upgraded Manannan rather than having been downgraded.

Mr Thomas pointed out the Ben My Chree’s sister ships, built around the same time, were still provided year-round passenger services in the Channel Islands while Calmac wanted to charter the Ben.

But Dr Allinson clarified he never said the Ben was an inadequate vessel but to bring it to the standards of the Manxman and Manannan would require millions of pounds of work.