It's the end of the line for the SS Manxman.

The vessel's owner, Pallion Engineering, has announced she is to be dismantled after any remaining memorabilia is sold off to interested parties.

Pallion says it has taken the decision 'with the deepest regret', after many years of trying to find a buyer or a project which would extend the life of the former Steam Packet ferry.

A list will be compiled of what is available for sale, and prospective buyers can email or telephone in sealed bids for the items.

Interested parties are advised to get in touch as soon as possible, with details available on the website ssmanxman.com

It was announced last April that the ship would be scrapped, after languishing in Tyne and Wear for years.

A last glimmer of hope in the long running campaign to save the ship seemed to appear, when a new charity, SOS Manxman Company, was set up by a Wirral enthusiast.

It had been hoped funds could be raised to incorporate the vessel into a hotel and conference centre, close to the Birkenhead ship yard where she was built, but nothing came of the idea.