No additional Linkspan in Douglas Harbour
17th February, 2010
Despite rumours currently circulating, Minister for Transport, David Anderson has stated that it is unlikely that there will be a third linkspan in Douglas Harbour as it would likely breach the Harbour User Agreeement.
The rumours are based on the fact that Mezeron, the Ramsey based shipping line have started operating a lift on-lift off container service into the Island and whilst this is an adequate shipping method for deep sea shipping, it is not particularly suitable for short sea crossings as it is equipment intensive, involves lengthy loading and turn around times and is restricted by tidal conditions. Because of these restrictions a regular delivery service is impossible to achieve and the service does not compare favourably against modern Roll on / Roll Off methods which adhere to a regular daily schedule and allow freight to arrive at the same time every day.