The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s fast craft the Manannan was damaged during a ‘very rough crossing’.

The incident happened during the vessel’s morning sailing from Douglas to Liverpool on Tuesday.

Strong winds at Pier Head brought on by Storm Pierrick in the north west of England meant that passengers were unable to disembark from the Manannan for a number of hours.

Those delays hit the vessel’s planned sailing schedule on Tuesday and the Manannan’s planned afternoon journey from the Isle of Man to Merseyside was later cancelled with the Steam Packet citing ‘operational reasons’.

On Wednesday, the company revealed that the vessel sustained damage to its engine and vehicle deck during the stormy condition.

Engineers worked overnight to successfully repair and test the Manannan.

The Steam Packet said the speedy fix to the vessel was a ‘testament to [its] engineering team’.

The ferry firm also said that due to the disruption to yesterday’s sailings and overnight repair work, the company is now working to accommodate rescheduled sailings.

A spokesperson for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said: ‘We'd like to thank our staff for their continued hard work, and to our passengers for their patience and understanding.’

Wednesday morning’s scheduled sailings have left the island as planned with the Manannan arriving in Belfast at 11.15am.

Meanwhile, Steam Packet flagship The Manxman’s planned sailing to Heysham departed at 9.05am on Wednesday and is expected to arrive in Lancashire at 12.50pm.

The Manannan’s crossing to Liverpool this afternoon is to set off an hour and a half later than scheduled and will now depart Douglas at 4.30pm.

And that will have a knock-on effect to the Manannan’s return sailing this evening, which will now depart Merseyside at 8.45pm rather than 7.15pm.

The Manxman’s return from Heysham is also running on time.

For further information and the latest sailing information visit the Steam Packet website.