Ben-my-Chree made a visit to Ardrossan and Brodick for berthing trials in October 2024.
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s Ben-my-Chree (1998/12,747gt), displaced from the Douglas-Heysham route by the arrival of new fleet flagship Manxman (2023/14,000gt), was trialled on links with Arran in the last few days of October 2024 as Caledonian MacBrayne looked for a vessel to stand in on their key Troon-Brodick route. However, it seems unlikely that the ship will be working in Scottish waters, as the trials showed that at Brodick it was berthing at the very edge of the limits within which it was safe to operate, and completely benign conditions would be needed at all times in order for her to berth successfully.
Delivered from Holland by Van der Giessen-de-Nord during 1998, Ben-my-Chree’s passenger capacity is 630 and she has 1,253 lane-metres of vehicle space.