The Manxman is expected to return to service on Thursday evening following temporary repairs after she was holed above the waterline while berthing at Heysham.

Isle of Man Steam Packet managing director Brian Thomson said the damage was minor and the result of ‘really bad luck’.

The flagship vessel was damaged as it collided with the harbour entrance at Heysham when it was struck by a strong gust of wind as it came into berth in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

No one was injured and as many waiting passengers as possible were brought back to the island on the Ben-my-Chree.

Mr Thomson said: ‘In the early hours of the morning, the Manxman had an allision with a quayside at Heysham due to the prevailing weather conditions, high winds and rough sea state. There was some what would be classed as minor damage.

‘However, that damage was enough to make the vessel unable to sail today.

‘When we assessed the situation with our engineers, we’ve come up with a repair plan.

‘So we will instigate a temporary repair and I expect the Manxman to be in service by tomorrow evening.

‘She was due to go into dry dock in a few weeks’ time so that’s when the repair will be fully carried out.’

He added: ‘It was just really bad luck, there was a gust of wind that caught it at the wrong time.

‘It was a manoeuvre that the ship’s done loads of times.

‘It is just unfortunate that the weather conditions on this occasion have caught it out.

‘The weather has been really changeable over the last couple of days and really difficult to get an accurate forecast. I don’t think there’s any blame to apportion. It’s just one of those situations where it’s bad luck. It’s an accident.

‘Luckily, the damage is minor enough that we can put a temporary repair on it, pending the dry dock and we’ll get her back in service as soon as possible.

‘Luckily, we had the Ben-my-Chree doing a freight services which was already alongside at Heysham and was able to bring passengers back last night.’

He said there was a hole in the shell plate above the waterline that was ‘relatively small’. ‘It’s a safe space that’s not going to affect anything and that will be repaired on Wednesday afternoon,’ he said.

Mr Thomson said: ‘Repair and collisions are common in the maritime industry. It was always going to happen. I don’t think there is a Steam Packet or other ferry, or any vessel in history that hasn’t had a prang., especially when you are operating in and out of such tight ports as Heysham and Douglas.

‘The crew were very professional. I’ve spoken to some of them because they transferred over to the Ben to help with a passenger service on there. This company has a lot of really good people working for us. Everybody’s pulled together and been able to move people around at really short notice. The contingencies have kicked in and worked really well. But we’d much rather not have damaged the Manxman.’

Asked whether last night’s sailing should have sailed at all, given the weather forecast, he replied: ‘That’s a question for maritime experts and captains and that’s the decision the captain made. And that will always be the case.’

The Steam Packet last month celebrated the first anniversary of the £80m vessel’s arrival in the Isle of Man.