The Emerald-class ferry is a class of ferries operated by Sydney Ferries on Sydney Harbour. There is capacity for about 400 passengers, improved accessibility for people with disabilities, Wi-Fi access, luggage and bicycle storage areas and charging stations/USB ports for electronic devices.
History
Generation 1 (Inner Harbour) In November 2014, the Government of New South Wales announced six new ferries would be ordered for use on Sydney Ferries services.Six iconic new modern ferries for Sydney Harbour Transport for NSW 28 November 2014New Sydney ferries set to sail from 2016 Sydney Morning Herald 28 November 2014 In September 2015, the contract to build the ferries was awarded to Incat.Six new ferries for Sydney Harbour Incat 23 September 2015 The first ferry was expected to enter service in late 2016.
However, the entry into service was delayed due to problems uncovered during testing that required modifications to the vessel. Fred Hollows was the first ferry to enter service, commencing operations on 26 June 2017. The introduction of the Emerald-class ferries allowed the final two ferries to be withdrawn in October 2017.
The sixth was delivered carrying the name Emerald 6. Transport for NSW subsequently announced it would be renamed Ferry McFerryface along the same lines as . However the Maritime Union of Australia refused to crew the vessel in protest at the name.Ferry McFerryface to be the name of new Sydney ferry after public vote ABC News 14 November 2017Ferry workers to boycott Ferry McFerryface SBS World News 14 November 2017 It entered service in December 2017 named Emerald 6 with a Ferry McFerryface sticker below the bridge.Ferry McFerryface sets sail as union, government agree to name change Seven News 17 December 2017 In January 2018, following revelations that the name was not a public vote winner but selected by Transport Minister Andrew Constance, it was renamed May Gibbs.Ferry McFerryface wasn't public pick for new ferry name until Andrew Constance's captain's pick Daily Telegraph 30 January 2018
On 2 July 2020, Pemulwuy suffered a steering failure. The ferry suddenly began an uncommanded, sharp turn to starboard. The master immediately switched to back-up steering and took evasive action to avoid a collision with the ferry Narrabeen following closely behind. It was found that a steering toggle (joystick) had failed, and since calculations revealed the toggles had likely reached the end of their service life, the toggles on all ferries in the class were replaced with new toggles of the same type.
On 23 November 2020, Pemulwuy suffered another near identical loss of control. Following a more detailed investigation, it was found the current flowing through the toggles was 1.2 amps, much higher than the 0.5 amps they were rated for. This increased current was causing damage to the microswitch inside and shortening its lifespan. In consultation with Incat, relays were installed to lower the current flowing through the toggles on Pemulwuy. Following successful trials, all other ferries in the class were modified to this configuration.
Generation 2 (Manly)
In 2021 a second series of Emerald-class ferries (Generation 2), fitted with wave-piercing hulls, were built to replace the ferries on the Manly ferry services.Future for Freshwater ferry secured Transport for NSW 27 November 2020Second Freshwater ferry retained Transport for NSW 14 January 2021 The new vessels were named after Sydney Harbour beaches Fairlight, Clontarf and Balmoral.New ferries to be named after popular harbour beaches Transport for NSW 3 February 2021 In October 2021 the first of the new ferries Fairlight was put into service a few days after the Freshwater-class ferry MV Queenscliff was retired. The rest of the vessels entered service throughout the next month.
The new Emerald-class vessels were heavily criticized due to numerous problems and incidents that affected the vessels' performance. In November 2021 the ferry Balmoral was undertaking trials in high seas when a window was smashed and the rudder was damaged. This caused many to doubt the vessels' ability to cross Sydney Heads on days with big swells. Another problem identified with the vessels was that they were unable to load and unload passengers on the west side of Manly Wharf at low tide. This meant that the vessels were required to use the east side of the wharf, which is typically used by the Manly Fast Ferry, during low tide causing delays for both services. In December 2021 Transport minister Rob Stokes announced that the Freshwater-class ferry MV Narrabeen would have its engine rebuilt and would be returned to service due to the ongoing problems with the new Emerald-class vessels. On 12 March 2022 it was announced that the vessels had been cleared to operate in swells of up to .
The class have experienced a number of steering faults and failures. They were removed from service on 26 September 2022 after two separate ferries suffered identical failures in two days. One of these was a near miss with the cruise ship . Since 1 December 2021, the Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) had already received reports of 10 other steering defects with no known cause. It is unknown when the ferries returned to service. In May 2025, the ferries were once again pulled from service after another steering failure, with the operator Transdev stating the ferries required "a component change-out after a relay component issue was identified in the steering system on the Clontarf". As of late May 2025, a cause for these issues has not been announced, and the OTSI investigation remains ongoing.
Design
The Emerald class operate on Cross Harbour ferry services and are designed to look similar to the vessels. The ferries seat 375 passengers. The Generation 2 Emerald class were designed with wave piercing hulls to allow them to cross the Sydney Heads on days with high swells. The most noticeable difference between the Generation 1 and Generation 2 Emerald-class ferries is two large handle-like structures on the bows of the Generation 2 ferries.
Vessels NameCall signMMSIShipyard noCompletedNamesakePictureReferenceCatherine Hamlin24622503046120Incat 0822016Catherine HamlinAussie doctor lends her name to newest ferry Transport for New South Wales 15 November 2016Fred Hollows24712503053140Incat 0832017Fred HollowsIncat ferries bound for Denmark & Sydney Harbour The Mercury 21 April 2017Victor Chang24713503055050Incat 0842017Victor ChangVictor Chang joins Sydney's ferry fleet Transport for New South Wales 18 August 2017Pemulwuy24714503057290Incat 0852017PemulwuyPemulwuy arrives in Sydney Transport for New South Wales 30 August 2017Bungaree24715503058420Incat 0862017BungareeNew ferries to cater for population boom along Parramatta River Sydney Morning Herald 2 October 2017May Gibbs24716503059930Incat 0872017May GibbsFairlight457554503106820 2021FairlightBalmoral457587503106790 2021BalmoralClontarf457599503106810 2021Clontarf
References
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