Steam Packet Warns Of Disruption To Sailings

[Thomas Jefferson]

wrong thread

Edited December 26, 2013 by Thomas Jefferson

[John Wright]

Last time I remember anything as bad as this was early 1979 when even the side loaders didn't run

[monasqueen]

Short term memory?

 

There were a lot of cancellations in the period from end November 2011 until well into December. The weather was not quite as bad as currently, but Ben had only one operational bow thrust then, and without there being a tug in Heysham, she was unable to dock.

 

The SPCo press release at the time said - "We are suffering an unusually prolonged period of consistent gale and severe gale force winds at present. To make matters worse these winds have been from an unusual direction which makes berthing in Heysham more difficult.
‘The lack of a second bow thrust, in conjunction with these other factors, has contributed to the higher than usual level of cancellations we have been suffering. However, given the severity of the weather, it is clear that we would have lost some, but not all, of the sailings even if both bow thrust units had been functioning."

 

You may not have felt the effects of this quite as much as now, as this all happened further away from the busy Christmas period, but there was a lot of animated discussion at the time.

 

This time, Ben is not ill (though I believe still not running at 100% on one engine). There is no other ship, and with this being a busy period for all operators, there is no vessel available to charter to help with the freight backlog. Manannan can't help when there's a puff of wind, so we're stuffed, to quote a technical expression.

 

If you don't like it, there's a boat in the morning......No, hang on, there isn't......possibly.....

Edited December 26, 2013 by monasqueen

[John Wright]

No not short term. There was a mechanical reason in 2011. There isn't now and wasn't in 1979. And in 1979 there were three boats, operational, Manx Viking, plus two side loaders, plus two side loaders in Birkenhead Dock, plus Manxman and two steam packet freighters, and there were several days without sailings over a two week period, and having spares didn't help

[WTF]

1 boat , 3 boats, technical fault, no technical fault, boats not running is boats not running, why doesn't change that.

[Max Power]

It's a myth that the ferries ran whatever the weather. There were often winter cancellations in the hey day of eight passenger and three cargo vessels.

Even cross channel routes are being affected at the moment and those ships are not only bigger, they are sailing on a shorter stretch of sea.

[monasqueen]

In 2011, the engines were in better nick than they are now. The "mechanical reason" was the lack of one out of the two bow thrust units, and if the owners of Heysham Harbour had a tug in the port, some of the sailings could have operated.

 

Having said that, there was at the time a sustained period of gales, and a lot of the sailings would have been lost anyway.

 

The time is long past that ships sail whatever the weather, Ellan Vannin style. The hassle and insurance consequences of removing twisted metal that used to be cars and lorries is just not worth it. Force 9 winds are the breaking point nowadays. It is not just the Packet that cancels, other operators all round the British Isles are keeping their ships in ports.

 

Elfin Safe Tea, passenger and crew comfort are all factors, as well as trying to minimalise damage.

 

I have been on Ben into a force 9+, and it just isn't comfortable. The stabilisers don't help too much after a certain point. I think I would rather be back on Manxman in a force 10!

[manxie44]

Short term memory?

 

There were a lot of cancellations in the period from end November 2011 until well into December. The weather was not quite as bad as currently, but Ben had only one operational bow thrust then, and without there being a tug in Heysham, she was unable to dock.

 

The SPCo press release at the time said - "We are suffering an unusually prolonged period of consistent gale and severe gale force winds at present. To make matters worse these winds have been from an unusual direction which makes berthing in Heysham more difficult.

‘The lack of a second bow thrust, in conjunction with these other factors, has contributed to the higher than usual level of cancellations we have been suffering. However, given the severity of the weather, it is clear that we would have lost some, but not all, of the sailings even if both bow thrust units had been functioning."

 

You may not have felt the effects of this quite as much as now, as this all happened further away from the busy Christmas period, but there was a lot of animated discussion at the time.

 

This time, Ben is not ill (though I believe still not running at 100% on one engine). There is no other ship, and with this being a busy period for all operators, there is no vessel available to charter to help with the freight backlog. Manannan can't help when there's a puff of wind, so we're stuffed, to quote a technical expression.

 

If you don't like it, there's a boat in the morning......No, hang on, there isn't......possibly.....

No we are not stuffed. The Island has survived this sort of weather many times. If you are so concerned with loss of supplies, then buy 'Local' all year round, and help those who provide Island food to survive. In other words support the place you live in, and stop buying cheap junk from stores who don't pay any Tax here

[piebaps]

What stores are they?

We have the "Tesco tax" now http://www.gov.im/media/365703/pn18113.pdf

[manxie44]

What stores are they?

We have the "Tesco tax" now http://www.gov.im/media/365703/pn18113.pdf

Just ignore what I said, it was not aimed at people who just wish to argue the point. the bottom line is , if you wish to shop at these stores you leave yourself open to the sort of disruptions to supplies that this type of weather brings. Will you be doing without food in order to leave the 'Local' supplies to those who support their outlets all year round., and I did not mention 'Tesco's'. I try a not to. Ever

[kevster]

What stores are they?

We have the "Tesco tax" now http://www.gov.im/media/365703/pn18113.pdf

Don't go spoiling it with facts - remember, this is MF

[manxman8180]

Just ignore what I said, it was not aimed at people who just wish to argue the point.......snip.......

By 'argue the point', do you mean someone pointing out that you were wrong?

 

Who was your post aimed at? People who didn't know any better?

[Tempus Fugit]

What stores are they?

We have the "Tesco tax" now http://www.gov.im/media/365703/pn18113.pdf

you can't eat a "tesco tax"

[woolley]

 

What stores are they?

We have the "Tesco tax" now http://www.gov.im/media/365703/pn18113.pdf

you can't eat a "tesco tax"

Hypothetical Christmas poser. Just supposing Tesco said "We've got thousands of stores in the UK, and we can't juggle our systems to separate out paying different tax on one in the Isle of Man. It'll cost us more than it's worth being in the Isle of Man in the first place. Sod off or get the UK to give you a chunk of what we pay them." What would Gov do?

[slinkydevil]

Hypothetical Christmas poser. Just supposing Tesco said "We've got thousands of stores in the UK, and we can't juggle our systems to separate out paying different tax on one in the Isle of Man. It'll cost us more than it's worth being in the Isle of Man in the first place. Sod off or get the UK to give you a chunk of what we pay them." What would Gov do?

 

Perhaps roll over and say something like "Lessons have been learned" and "We are where we are", whilst congratulating Tesco for something trivial all in the same press release.