Sending the Manxman to Liverpool if it cannot berth at Heysham has not been ruled out by the Isle of Man Steam Packet.

The company has come under scrutiny in recent months, particularly since the Manxman came into service, with the Manx public baffled by some of the cancellations and logistic issues faced.

Despite the shiny new vessel and new ferry terminal in Liverpool, the service remains too volatile for many people’s liking.

Fleet Operations Manager James Royston and Tom Turner, one of the captains on Manxman and Ben-my-Chree, sat down to answer some of the burning questions posed on social media – many of which have been asked by Media IoM on more than one occasion.

The questions and answers have been posted on the Steam Packet’s website. Among them was one which asked: ‘Why not sail Manxman to Liverpool if it can’t berth in Heysham?’

Rather than dismiss such a suggestion out of hand, Mr Royston says the  idea is still being explored but further trials need to be carried out.

He said: ‘Trials have not yet been carried out for Manxman to operate from Liverpool. Once the trials are successfully completed, we’ll have more flexibility to consider Liverpool as an option in the future.’

But there remains on issue which cannot be solved by the Manxman heading to Liverpool.

Mr Royston said: ‘However, it is not possible to transport freight via the Liverpool terminal, due to circumstances outside of our control.’