The Ben-my-Chree completed her 15,000th sailing across the Irish Sea today.
The milestone crossing departed from Douglas to Heysham at 08.45am.
Built by Van der Giessen de Noord in Rotterdam, at a cost of ?24 million, the 'Ben' first sailed into Manx waters on Tynwald Day 1998.
Since then she has covered more than 875,000 miles and has a reliability record of over 99%.
She has carried more than 2.5 million passengers and 4.5 million metres of freight since she entered service.
She has also completed more trips than many former Steam Packet vessels, which served the company for twice as long as the 'Ben' has to date.
Researching your Manx family history can be a very interesting and rewarding hobby. Trace your roots in the Isle of Man with our helpful of guide.
