Manly ferry: Smaller vessel to start on city run in November

The first of the new smaller, faster and more frequent Manly ferries will soon come into service as the first of the old fleet officially sets sail for retirement.

One of the new smaller, faster and more frequent Manly ferries will begin carrying commuters to the city as soon as next month.

Transport officials have confirmed that one of the three 400-seat Emerald-class catamaran-style ferries, bought to replace the current iconic, but ageing, Manly ferry fleet, will come into service in November.

The news comes as the NSW Government confirmed that the first of the four Freshwater-class 1100-seat ferries will be retired from service next week.

The Queenscliff arrives at Circular Quay from Manly. She is the first of the old Manly ferry fleet to be officially retired. Picture: Dylan Robinson

MV Queenscliff, which began operating in 1983, will make her last public passenger run on Wednesday. She will leave Manly Wharf at 1.40pm.

Transport for NSW (TfNSW) said the introduction of the two other Indonesian-built Emerald Manly ferries would be “phased in” from November. No dates for when they will begin service have been released.

As well as the Queenscliff, the Narrabeen will be officially retired at a later date.

The Freshwater battling a large swell across Sydney Heads. Picture John Grainger

Once the three new Emerald ferries are in service, the other two older ferries, the Collaroy and the Freshwater, will keep running between Manly and Circular Quay at weekends only.

In January TfNSW said the new twin-hulled ferries on the Circular Quay-Manly route would begin operation around the “middle of 2021”.

But the devastating floods in March, which hit parts of Port Macquarie — where the three new ferries were being commissioned — put the delivery of the new vessels behind schedule.

They have now been handed over to Transdev, the French-based company operating the Sydney Ferries fleet, to complete seaworthiness trials on Sydney Harbour before entering into service.

The balmoral, one of the three new Emerald-class ferries to be used on the Manly route. Picture: Nathan Edwards

Critics have concerns the new ferries would not be able to handle the large swells across Sydney heads, but TfNSW has said they would cope with heavy seas.

When the Queenscliff is withdrawn from service, Transdev will temporarily supplement the Manly fleet with two of its smaller Emerald-class ferries already operating on other Harbour routes.

TfNSW has previously said the new faster public ferries will take about 22 minutes to complete the Manly to city journey and save $6 million a year in operating costs.

The MV Narrabeen will be the next ferry to be retired, although no date has been set yet.

TfNSW chief operations officer, Howard Collins, said that from Monday the old ferries will be able to carry 543 customers, up from 245.

But Mr Collins advised those wanting to travel on the Queenscliff’s last trip on Wednesday will have to get there early.

The new Emerald class-ferries underneath the ANZAC Bridge at Blackwattle Bay. Picture: Toby Zerna

For those who don’t get a seat a prerecorded virtual trip from Manly to Circular Quay will be streamed on the Transport for NSW Facebook page at the same time as the last service.

“While we would love to accommodate all intending customers on this trip, COVID-19

capacity restrictions remain in place on public transport services,” Mr Collins said.

“Customers who would like to take a final trip on the Queenscliff are asked to travel earlier in the day on the 13th, or the preceding days, to ensure they are able to board the vessel and avoid disappointment.”

Opponent of the Manly ferry replacement program, Northern Beaches Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham, was critical of the timing of the government’s Queenscliff retirement.

“Just when we are coming out of lockdown and Manly is expected to be swamped with visitors at long last … the latest blow for our local businesses,” Ms Bingham said.

“This leaves only two large ferries, from the original fleet of four, to run this important route … once an hour, with two small Emerald Class ferries in support.”

Ms Bingham called on the new Transport Minister Rob Stokes to “sort out this mess”.

Mr Collins said the government would soon seek ideas from interested parties on how the Queenscliff could be put to future community use.