Damage which occurred to the RoRo freight and passenger ferry Ben my Chree, which operates between the Isle of Man and the mainland will now not be repaired until a quiet period later in the summer. During the January gales the vessel had one of its two stabilising fins damaged which subsequently had to be removed. Fincantieri, the fin manufacturer found that components had suffered significant levels of damage and retained it for repair, allowing the vessel to return to service without it.
The vessel will now be taken out of service between 19 and 21 June, a comparatively quiet period for the island, with school term time being between the beginning of June to the end of July and, more importantly for the island’s economy, after this year’s TT races which run from May 24 to June 6.