Its first voyage took place on the 30th June 1830 from Douglas to Liverpool and has been running continual since. It is the longest serving passenger shipping company in the world. It runs routes from the Isle of Man to Birkenhead, Liverpool, Heysham, Belfast and Dublin. In 1996, The Steam Packet Company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sea Containers Ltd headed by James Sherwood. In 2003, the Company was sold to Montagu Private Equity and in 2005 it was brought by Macquarie Bank.