The £80m flagship of the Isle of Man Steam Company the Manxman will be out of commission for four days in the coming months.

According to the IOMSPCo. the ferry which operates the Douglas-Heysham route will undergo planned servicing of its Marine Evacuation System (MES).

As Manx Radio reports, the four days that the 946 passenger flagship will not be operating are to take place on 26 March, 15 April, 25 April and 7 May.

While the 24,161 gross tonnes Manxman is off service there will be no disruption to passenger services, as the fast-craft ferry Manannan or ropax Ben-my-Chree will take over the flagship’s sailings for these dates.

The servicing of the MES is a routine annual requirement for all vessels with the Ben-my-Chree expected to undertake its planned annual maintenance and inspection in March and April.

Manannan’s overhaul at Cammell Laid, Birkenhead along with a cabin refit has been taking place over the winter ahead of its return to service at the end of March.