The Steam Packet Company has confirmed that an extra freight ferry will be needed to transport vehicles to the Isle of Man in time for the famous TT Festival.

More than 11,600 motorcycles are expected to arrive in Douglas later this month, which is a significant increase on previous years.

To cope with this demand, the firm will use the MV Arrow during peak periods and it also has the option of utilising the P&O Express passenger craft.

Steam Packet chief Mark Woodward said plans had been in place to transfer racers and spectators across to the island from mainland Britain without using an extra freight vessel.

"However, bringing in MV Arrow will improve the service to freight customers, providing them with extra capacity and giving us additional operational resilience," he remarked.

The festival will get underway on May 25th and will last for two weeks in what is undoubtedly the busiest time of year for the Isle of Man.

According to the Steam Packet Company, it usually carries around 600,000 passengers and 170,000 vehicles between the Isle of Man and Liverpool, Dublin and Belfast each year.