Passengers who risk missing the boat due to a delay on the roads should contact the Steam Packet, the Treasury Minister has, for some reason, had to tell MHKs.
Dr Alex Allinson outlined the company’s procedures in response to questions from Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown, and Malew) and Julie Edge (Onchan) in Keys,
Dr Allinson said: “In the event of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company being informed of an accident or road closure, which could affect passengers arriving in time for their sailing, the company will assess a number of factors.”
These include the number of unchecked passengers, schedule flexibility, and potential clashes with other sailings.
Boarding Time
Mr Moorhouse highlighted strict boarding times: “There are three crucial times: departure time, the final check-in time for vehicles (45 minutes prior), and 25 minutes for foot passengers.”
He asked whether bank holidays warranted extra leniency, citing traffic congestion.
Ms Edge also raised concerns about vulnerable travellers: “What would be the consequences if [patients] arrived and the boat had left?”
Dr Allinson urged delayed passengers to call the Douglas call centre, adding: “They will update their website and send texts and emails to all those people that they have the details for.”
Mr Moorhouse also requested data on delayed sailings, to which Dr Allinson said that punctuality figures are published quite regularly but that big delays are “relatively rare”.
Listen
- Due to an audio issue, the final question from Julie Edge is missing from this recording, this question prompted Dr Allinson to confirm he will ask the Steam Packet to publish contact details for its ports other than in Douglas for passengers.
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