Sailings to and from the Isle of Man continue to be disrupted this week due to tidal restrictions in Douglas Harbour.

It follows an incident on Saturday evening when the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s flagship vessel, Manxman, briefly ran aground while manoeuvring into port.

The vessel, which had been travelling from Liverpool, became stuck in the mud at around 6pm as it arrived in Douglas at low tide, which the company says was lower than expected due to high atmospheric pressure.

The ship remained grounded for a short time before berthing later in the evening, delaying its scheduled sailing to Heysham.

The Steam Packet say passengers on board were kept informed throughout and provided with refreshments.

In response to ongoing tidal challenges, the Steam Packet has adjusted its sailing schedule for the week ahead.

Several sailings have been rescheduled, while others have been cancelled entirely.

Monday’s evening crossing to Heysham has been delayed until 9.25pm, arriving at 1.10am, with the return journey departing at 3.15am and reaching Douglas at 7.30am.

On Tuesday (March 4), the afternoon sailing from Heysham to Douglas, along with its return journey, has been cancelled.

The only other sailing scheduled to operate on Tuesday is the 10am Douglas to Heysham crossing, with the Manxman not expected to return to Douglas until 5.15am on Wednesday morning.

Following Saturday’s incident, the Steam Packet initially planned to conduct an underwater dive inspection of the Manxman but later decided it was not necessary at this stage.

The company stated that the vessel is equipped with a state-of-the-art stability system, including flood sensors, and that routine manual checks are being carried out to ensure passenger safety.

Steam Packet managing director Brian Thomson apologised for the disruption and praised the crew for their professionalism in handling the situation.

He confirmed that the company is working closely with the Department of Infrastructure’s Harbours team to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.

Passengers affected by schedule changes are being contacted by the Steam Packet’s reservations team, with updates also available via the company’s website