Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

8 7 Steam Packet Company’s ferries transport passengers between the Isle of Man and mainland UK with strict measures adopted to keep passengers and crew safe. “To minimise interaction of crew with shore staff and reduce transmission risk, we moved to a pure live onboard model for our ro-pax vessel – moving crew out of double berth cabins and in to some passenger cabins, again to minimise close contact,” Woodward says. The Isle of Man appears to be much more cautious than most jurisdictions and at the time of publication, its borders remain closed to visitors. “Manx residents can now travel, albeit with the requirement to self-isolate for 14 days on their return,” says Woodward. “Events such as the TT and Festival of Motorcycling have been cancelled this year and we don’t yet know what effect that may have on these events in the future. As we approach the autumn and passenger numbers fall naturally it seems likely that we will see no return to normal demand patterns until either the Isle of Man fully opens its borders or there is an effective treatment and/or prevention available.” Woodward suggests the biggest asset of the ferry industry going forward is a re-focusing of passenger priorities. “It may be that ferry travel, where passengers have the ability to try and separate themselves to some extent from other passengers, will be preferred to air travel for the foreseeable future – although the market is necessarily smaller, and travellers would have to eschew longer distance travel. The European resorts are mostly reachable by car and it may be that ferry companies can expect a rise in vehicle traffic as a result.” CFR