The Isle of Man’s Steam Packet ferry line has announced plans invest in expansion of motorcycle capacity on its fast craft Manannan by 30 per cent, providing room for thousands of extra bikes during the 2015 TT.
A new mezzanine vehicle deck will be fabricated this autumn for Manannan and installed prior to each TT, accommodating an extra 300 motorcycles each way, every day. It will also be installed for the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling, which includes the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix.
During the 2014 TT, the Steam Packet carried more than 12,100 motorcycles each way, an increase of eight per cent on the 2013 figure, and demand for travel to next year’s TT is already substantially higher than this time last year.
Steam Packet chief executive Mark Woodward said: “In recent years we have seen numbers for the TT and Festival of Motorcycling grow by some 25 per cent, and we know there is an increasing demand to bring motorcycles to the Island for these events. We anticipate an additional 1,500 to 2,000 visiting motorcycles during the 2015 TT.