Sydney ferry veers off course near Shark Island

A Sydney ferry has suffered a serious steering failure that suddenly sent the vessel hard to starboard near Shark Island in Sydney Harbour, later resulting in it being pulled from passenger service.

The incident involving the Pemulwuy on Saturday occurred eight days after another Emerald-class ferry – the Bungaree – had a steering failure near Cremorne Point on the lower north shore.

In the most serious incident, the Pemulwuy suddenly turned hard to starboard on Saturday, forcing the crew to switch to emergency controls.

The Pemulwuy ferry (foreground) is tied up at Balmain shipyard on Wednesday after suffering a serious steering failure.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

In the earlier incident on September 20, the Bungaree suffered a steering failure near Cremorne Point, which required the crew to use back-up controls after the vessel came to a halt.

Transdev, the operator of Sydney’s government-owned ferries, said in a statement that an investigation into the incident involving the Pemulwuy was ongoing, and the vessel was out of service as a precaution while the process was finalised.

The company said the masters of both the Pemulwuy and the Bungaree immediately gained control during the incidents, and there was no impact on passengers.

“The Bungaree incident was immediately identified by our Balmain technicians as a faulty component. The component was changed out, and the vessel thoroughly tested before return to service,” it said.

The two catamaran ferries to suffer the latest steering failures are first-generation Emerald-class vessels, which entered service on the inner-harbour about seven years ago.

The Pemulwuy had two steering failures in 2020, both of which resulted in sudden and unexpected turns to starboard at full speed. One of the losses of control placed the vessel in the intended path of a large Manly ferry.

The Bungaree also suffered a steering failure in August 2021.

The Fairlight ferry in the dry dock at Balmain shipyard where it is undergoing major maintenance work.Credit: Nick Moir

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority confirmed it had been notified of the latest incidents and was making further inquires with the ferry operator.

“AMSA takes the safety of ferry passengers and crew very seriously and will take action, where appropriate,” the regulator said.

Three second-generation Emerald-class vessels used on the busy Manly-Circular Quay route were also plagued with defects and steering failures after they entered service in late 2021.

The Clontarf, Balmoral and Fairlight ferries suffered about almost a dozen steering failures between late 2021 and September 23, internal figures show.

The Fairlight is the last of the three Chinese-built vessels to have a new engine fitted at the Balmain shipyard where it is in a dry dock undergoing major maintenance work. The ferry is due to re-enter service on the Manly route by early December, in time for the busy summer period.

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