Up to 300 more motorcycles per day are to be ferried onto Isle of Man next June as the TT gains popularity.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has chartered additional P&O Express sailings to help make sure it can accommodate everyone who wants to travel to and from the island before, during and after TT 2015 in June.

As a result of the deal with P&O Express, an extra four return sailings have been added to the schedule from the Northern Irish port of Larne, while the Steam Packet Company’s wave-piercing catamaran, Manannan, will operate an additional five Liverpool returns during the TT.

Bookings for the extra sailings will open at 8:30am on Monday, 3rd November, and the operator expects demand to be high. Earlier this year the Steam Packet Company announced that it would increase motorcycle capacity on its fast ferry services operating before, during and after the annual road racing festival.

The company will install a specially-built mezzanine deck on Manannan prior to each TT, accommodating an extra 100 motorcycles per sailing – or 300 motorcycles each way every day. The mezzanine deck will also be installed for the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling, which includes the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix.

The new mezzanine deck will give more TT fans the opportunity to bring their motorcycle with them, the Steam Packet Company said. Chartered freight vessel MV Arrow will also be in service during the TT once again, freeing up the conventional ferry Ben-my-Chree to accommodate more vehicles.