Gearbox failure affects sailings

The faulty gearbox will be removed by engineers on Thursday

Sailings between the Isle of Man and Liverpool are taking longer than usual because of a gearbox failure.

The faulty gearbox - one of four on the Viking craft - will take about three weeks to repair, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said.

Until then the craft will be operating at a reduced speed, increasing journey times by 30 minutes to three hours.

Two sailings have been cancelled on Thursday to allow engineers to remove the faulty part.

We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to our passengers as a result of the repairs to the gearbox Mark Woodward, chief executive

It means passengers booked on the 0730 BST and 1115 BST services will be offered alternative sailings to Heysham, Lancashire.

Chief Executive Mark Woodward said the company was aware of similar problems on other vessels of Viking's type.

"However, during last winter's overhaul, this gearbox was thoroughly inspected internally and found to be in good condition, so this latest failure is disappointing.

"We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to our passengers as a result of the repairs to the gearbox.

"All available resources are being mobilised to restore normal service as soon as possible."