TravelWatch Isle of Man is delighted to learn of the withdrawal of Celtic Array's threat to build wind turbines which would have caused major disruption to vital ferry routes linking the Island with Heysham and Liverpool.

Celtic Array have announced that their withdrawal is due to adverse ground conditions found in the sea-bed, and the company has therefore handed back its licence to the Crown Estate.

Recent reports in the business press suggest that plans for a series of new offshore wind farms have also been thrown into doubt after the UK Government, Treasury, and National Audit Office clarified the limited amounts of subsidy available for power generation from offshore wind.

TravelWatch wind farms spokesman, John Pennington, said that the passenger watchdog and the Steam Packet Company have spent the last couple of years working hard together on their separate but co-ordinated campaigns regarding the cumulative impact of DONG's Walney Extension and Celtic Array's wind farms.

He added, ''We believe that our informed campaigning may well have tipped the balance in Celtic Array's decision to quit. Now the Steam Packet will be able to concentrate on running their shipping services. Also, if the Crown Estate considers reissuing licences, we hope that they will learn from this experience and will revise the boundaries in order to remove any future threat to the Island's vital shipping routes.'