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COMMERCIAL & FREIGHT
The Island's Lifeline since 1830
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Delivering excellence across the Irish sea
For nearly 200 years, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has been the vital link for shipping goods to and from the Isle of Man. Our flagship RoPax vessel, Manxman, ensures a reliable twice-daily service between the Isle of Man and Heysham in the North West of England, carrying virtually any type of freight. We are proud to be the island’s lifeline, delivering essential goods and services efficiently and securely.
Connecting businesses across the Irish Sea
The freight team at the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company works with clients across all areas of industry. With decades of experience in finding solutions for complex logistics or straightforward projects, the team is ready to work with you.
We always welcome new enquiries, read on to find out more about our services.
What is freight?
Freight and commercial vehicle bookings are mostly dealt with by our friendly and experienced freight teams based in Douglas and Heysham Ports.
Unless it is a campervan, if your vehicle is longer than 6.5 meters and/or over 3m high you’ll need to contact the reservations in order to book your crossing.
Trade cars can also be booked via the freight team
Commercial vehicles include any vehicle that is primarily used for commercial purposes.
What Routes Carry Freight?
Manxman operates the year-round twice-daily service to Heysham, accounting for the majority of articulated trailer freight brought to the Isle of Man. A smaller amount of freight in self-propelled rigid vehicles travels through Liverpool terminal on HSC Manannan during Spring, Summer and Autumn. Manxman operates to and from Liverpool on weekends in the Winter.
It is possible to book freight on all routes served by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Please be aware that some routes have restrictions in terms of size, volume or type of vehicle that can be carried.
Our Services
IOMSPC is the Isle of Man's lifeline, we carry a full range of goods in and out of the island. If you have specialised requirements see here for further details, or contact the team for further information.
Animal welfare is at the forefront of what we do, and in keeping with our animal welfare policy, we reserve the right to refuse any shipment of livestock if we have any concerns whatsoever, or deem the shipment to be in violation of animal rights. Livestock is only to be carried at sea if, in the opinion of the Master, weather conditions at sea are such that the animals will not be subjected to the risk of suffering, injury or death. The Master cannot set aside his duty under the law by carrying livestock at the shipper’s risk; nor should commercial considerations influence his opinion. The decision of the Master to ship any livestock is final and is made for the welfare of the animal/s. All livestock must be transported according to applicable Isle of Man and UK legislation and shippers must show they comply with Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) livestock transport regulations and requirements, and accompanied by the correct DEFRA documentation, clearly showing the animals are being shipped for breeding purposes. A surcharge is applied to livestock movements.
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is required by the Sea Services Agreement to operate a Dangerous Goods Sailing approximately every 14 days. All hazardous shipments must comply with IMDG (International Maritime Dangerous Goods) Code. Please ensure your are complying with all the relevant hazardous and Dangerous goods shipping regulations to ensure a smooth experience with us. IOMSPC reserves the right to refuse any goods shipment at any time. For transport by sea, all dangerous goods and hazardous freight, regardless of quantity, must be declares. All dangerous goods must be accompanied by a Dangerous Goods Notice (DGN). When using our dangerous goods shipping services, the driver or consignee is responsible for ensuring the correct paperwork accompanies the load.
Speak to our team about how we can best help accommodate your requirements. On Manxman the normal maximum height is 4.8m. Loads wider than 2.5m attract a surcharge. Arrow and Ben-my-Chree can carry trailers with a maximum height of 4.6m. Across all vessels maximum length for self-propelled is 18 metres, non-propelled 15 metres. Maximum weight: 44 tonnes for self-propelled, 38 tonnes for non-propelled
Flat deck trailers must be full loads of the following: ·Bricks (incl. Thermal Blocks). ·Plaster or Plasterboard. ·Timber (Inc. Plywood) & Roof Trusses ·Cement / Mortar ·Tiles. ·Asphalt ·Underground drainage items. (Includes Concrete Pipes or Clay Pipes, Plastic and steel pipework and joints destined for underground drainage. Does NOT include standard above ground drain pipes, or general copper pipes and joints) ·Insulation materials (slab, roll and polystyrene) ·Agricultural Fertilisers. ·Bulk Animal Food Products ·Straw/Animal bedding ·Grains & Cereals ·Coal ·Concrete Commodity flat deck trailer loads cannot be booked in advance and will only be shipped on a non-priority basis and must be notified to the company in advance of shipment. Mixed loads will be charged at standard flat deck trailer rate.