The Fairlight and two other new ferries have had a chequered history since entering service on the Manly route in late 2021.
The Fairlight and two other new ferries have had a chequered history since entering service on the Manly route in late 2021.
By Matt O’Sullivan
February 23, 2025 — 12.30pm
One of the newer Manly ferries has suffered at least its 10th steering failure in Sydney Harbour, forcing the private operator to keep the vessel out of service until the maritime regulator is convinced it is safe to carry passengers.
Transdev, which operates Sydney’s government-owned ferries, confirmed the Fairlight catamaran suffered a steering failure for about five seconds on February 1. The ferry was pulled from service and remains at the Balmain shipyard.
“The crew followed emergency procedures and immediately brought the vessel to a stop before undertaking numerous system checks to make sure that steering had been restored,” the French company said.
“The vessel will remain out of service while investigations continue.”
The latest incident takes the number of steering failures involving the Fairlight to at least 10 since the second-generation Emerald-class vessel entered service in late 2021.
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Action for Public Transport spokesman Graeme Taylor said he was concerned about the frequency of the steering failures and the difficulty diagnosing the cause.
“The reliability of the steering is essential because a loss of control means that the Fairlight could potentially collide with other vessels on Sydney Harbour. That could be catastrophic,” he said.
“We are looking at a significant problem. [The maritime safety regulator] needs to work with the operator and determine the cause and a remedy.”
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The three overseas-built catamarans purchased to replace larger Freshwater-class ferries on the busy Circular Quay-Manly route have been plagued with defects and steering failures since entering service less than four years ago.
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The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the Fairlight would remain out of passenger service until it was satisfied that it was safe to return. “AMSA is working with the operator to investigate and resolve the circumstances of the steering failure,” it said.
The Fairlight and the two sister ferries had heavier-duty engines fitted last year which the government had said was aimed at reducing the frequency of required maintenance and load restrictions.
The government is also spending $71 million on refurbishing three of the four large Freshwater-class ferries, which are synonymous with the Manly route.
The Narrabeen has been moved to Sydney’s Garden Island, where final maintenance works will be carried out in a dry dock before the ferry returns to service in the middle of the year.
The large double-ended vessel was originally due to start undergoing repairs to its hull last June but was bumped from the queue at Garden Island by one of the navy’s defect-plagued Spanish-built warships.
While the refit will extend the Narrabeen’s working life, the government intends to retire all three remaining large Manly ferries by 2030 as part of plans to replace all diesel-powered vessels in the state’s 40-strong fleet with locally built electric or hydrogen ferries.
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Matt O’Sullivan is transport and infrastructure editor at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via Twitter.
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