In six years commuters and tourists will catch an electrified ferry service between Manly and Circular Quay – but the Freshwater ferries, at least as we know them, will be gone.
That’s the premise of the NSW Government’s announcement this week that all ferries will be zero emission Australian made vessels from 2030.
The F1 Manly route is first on the list for the glow-up, or first in line for the chopping block, depending on how you see things.
For The Save the Manly Ferries campaign, spearheaded by councillor Candy Bingham, it’s a big win.
It’s an issue the Northern Beaches councillor has been fighting for years, when it was first announced by the previous government that it would be phasing out the fleet and replacing it with the smaller Emerald class ferries, a decision later watered down after a series of issues with the new fleet. The Save the Manly Ferries campaign was seeking the retention of the fleet or the electrification of replicas. The latter looks to be on the cards, so has been viewed as a big win for the campaign.
“Once we realised the ferries wouldn’t be sustainable for the future, we advocated for zero-emission vessels,” Cr Bingham told Manly Observer.
“Once we realised the ferries wouldn’t be sustainable for the future, we advocated for zero-emission vessels,”
The transport minister said they would be putting out to tender for local design and build that would deliver zero-emission ferries.
“Sydney’s iconic double-ended Manly vessels started as steam ships, became the diesel ferries we know and love today, and will soon evolve into modern electric vessels,” said NSW Transport Minister, Jo Haylen.
They won’t be replicas though, as they will need to be shorter to fit into the Balmain shipyard. The current Freshwaters can only use the Navy’s Green Island facilities.
Australian-based businesses have been short-listed to develop the lookalike Freshwater Class electrified ferries that need to withstand big swells, cope with summer crowds and utilise the current dual-level boarding system to quickly load and unload passengers – something the Emerald fleet don’t offer.
Cr Bingham reiterated the importance of keeping the look of the Freshwater Class ferries.
“They’re like the red London buses, which are iconic,” she explained.
“You wouldn’t know it, because they look the same as the old buses, but they’re electric.
“Not only is the look of the ferries important historically, but it’s a reason why tourists enjoy catching the ferry to Manly.”
Unfortunately, it will be too expensive to convert the current ferries into electric versions, she said.
The sub-station, which was used by Manly Hospital, is now available to power the ferries at Manly Wharf, and the Government is exploring options for power at Circular Quay and Balmain.
“Manly needs high-capacity, reliable vessels that can load and unload hundreds of commuters and tourists within minutes of a ferry puling into Manly or the Quay,” Minister Haylen said.
“These new ferries will continue the important legacy of the Freshwaters, provide the capacity the community needs and combine it with new zero-emission propulsion to deliver a next generation ferry that’ll be fit for our harbour for years to come.”
Cr Bingham said she expected there to be a budget and project plan for the new Manly ferries by the end of the year.
In the meantime…
The current ferries will get a funding investment of $71 million to extend their service life until their electrified versions are in the harbour.
The Queenscliff and Freshwater ferries are serving the F1 Manly Ferry route. Freshwater’s survey will be renewed in mid-2025 and that will take its operation to 2030, while Queenscliff’s survey takes it to end of 2027. The Narrabeen will be back in action early next year after a period of dry-docking at Garden Island.
News isn’t so great for the MV Collaroy, who was pulled from the F1 route last September. The Government has deemed Collaroy too expensive to maintain because of its one-of-a-kind build, which made it the first and only ferry capable to sail the open ocean. The internal design and bespoke parts require a completely different maintenance process to its three siblings.
Collaroy will now rely on community groups or potential buyers submitting expressions of interests to NSW Transport (which opens next month) on how to best use this vessel. Some have suggested it would make a great dive site.
Not everyone is on board
“Getting rid of the Freshwater ferries in six years is a far cry from what we were told by the ‘Save the Manly Ferry Committee’ which in 2021, claimed the Freshwater ferries had 40 years of life left in them,” Member for Manly, James Griffin said in a statement today.
Mr Griffin expressed concern over the lack of details for the new plan, including the electricity infrastructure which will be required at Manly Wharf and Circular Quay to support the proposed battery powered vessels.
“The Save the Manly Ferry Committee has revealed that the ‘look alike’ ferries they have called for will be shorter than the existing Freshwater Class, so given they won’t be the same shape, perhaps they’ll just paint the proposed electric ferries yellow and gold in the hope that will satisfy the heritage enthusiasts,” Mr Griffin added.
He also queried the Government spending $71 million into extending the life of the Freshwater Class, with the end goal of removing them from service by 2030.
Don’t forget about the Emeralds
In 2021, three Emerald Class ferries, built in China, arrived in Australia and have been plagued with issues since their first sail. They suffered steering failures, cracked fuel tanks, oil sprays, leaks in the hull, damaged rudders, shattering windows, emergency doors that couldn’t be opened and engine failure.
Clontarf and Balmain have had their time in the shipyard with Fairlight, the last of the three, currently undergoing major maintenance in the dry dock, which includes installing a new engine.
NSW Transport confirmed all three will have heavier duty engines to reduce the frequency of required maintenance and load restrictions.
