Prior to the Seacat service, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has been ferrying passengers since 1830. Apart from connecting to the Isle of Man, Seacat and Isle of Man Steam Packet Company links the UK and Ireland at several ports.

Some of the routes include Belfast-to-Douglas, and Belfast-to-Troon, both taking a little over two and a half hours. There are also daily connections from Dublin to the cities of Douglas and Liverpool. Depending on weather conditions, these crossings generally take 2 hours, 45 minutes and 3 hours, 45 minutes respectively.

The connection between Britain and Douglas can be made on several ferry crossings from the port of Heysham. During summer, the Fastcraft ferry is the quickest ferry, taking approximately two hours; however, the Conventional Ferry is also availble and takes about 3 hours, 45 minutes. The Ben-my-Chree ferry, which began in 1998, makes two connections each day.

There are several vessels in operation. The Viking is a more spacious ferry, which allows for walking space onboard with a passenger capacity of between 400 – 600 patrons. The sailing vessel also has freight facilities, being able to carry up to 80 cars. The SuperSeaCat lll is a much larger ferry, with a capacity of 800 passengers and 175 cars.

The Rapide is a relatively large and comfortable ferry with service capabilities for up to 670 passengers and about 140 cars. It is a twin hulled sea cat ferry, just over 80 meters long.

The Ben-my-Chree is a passenger and freight ferry holding up to 500 passengers and about 75 cars. Other vessels in service include the Lady of Mann, which is a side-loading ferry with accommodation capabilities of 900 passengers and 135 cars.

Tags: Belfast, Britain, Ireland, SeaCat the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Ferries    , UK