 The Viking was due to leave Liverpool when the accident happened |
A fast craft ferry hit a pontoon as it prepared to sail from Liverpool to the Isle of Man. A gust of wind pushed the Isle of Man Steam Packet's Viking into the vehicle-loading pontoon as it prepared to leave Liverpool on Friday morning. The collision damaged the port side of the ship and it has been withdrawn from service while repairs are carried out. Sailings over the weekend have been rescheduled to accommodate passengers who have already booked. The Steam Packet Company sails from the Isle of Man to Liverpool, Heysham in Lancashire and Dublin.  |  The vessel cannot sail until the damage has been properly repaired |
The ship was due to leave Liverpool at 1115 BST when the accident happened, damaging shell plating on the vessel. A Steam Packet spokesman said: "The Master carried out a full inspection of the damaged area and decided that, in the interests of safety, the vessel cannot sail until the damage has been properly repaired. "There were no injuries reported following the incident, and passengers were disembarked." He added that "urgent arrangements" were being made for repairs. Schedule changed The Viking has now been withdrawn from service for between 24 and 48 hours. Passengers from the cancelled sailing were transferred to either the 1415 BST sailing from Heysham or to Saturday morning's 0215 BST Heysham-Isle of Man service, both operated by the Ben-my-Chree. Saturday sailings to Liverpool and Heysham will operate as scheduled, although all fast craft sailings will be undertaken by Snaefell, which has less capacity than Viking. Some passengers already booked on these sailings will have to be transferred from the Liverpool services to the Heysham services. Saturday's 1000 BST sailing to Belfast and the 1400 BST return have been cancelled. The Steam Packet Company said it was in the process of contacting passengers on those sailings to offer them alternative services. Sunday's services are expected to sail as normal.
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