Noise complaints slow down Brisbane's KittyCat ferries

Brisbane City Council's fleet of replacement cross-river ferries, nicknamed KittyCats, has generated so many noise complaints the council has been forced to slow them down.

The KittyCats were touted as being 44 per cent faster than the cross-river wooden ferries they replaced late last year, after eight wooden ferries were taken off the river over safety concerns in June.

The new KittyCat fleet (front) operates on cross-river and CityHopper services alongside the CityCats (rear).Credit: Lucy Stone

Speaking in November, public and active transport committee chairman Ryan Murphy said the KittyCats had a top speed of 23 knots, allowing services to be 44 per cent faster than the wooden ferries.

This meant the reinstated cross-river and CityHopper ferry timetables would run at 25-minute intervals, stopping at six ferry terminals, he said, rather than the 36-minute wooden monohull ferry services.

But in the two weeks since the KittyCats began operating on November 15, the council had received 70 complaints about excess ferry noise from the faster, more agile vessels.

"Council acknowledged these concerns were legitimate and began working with the operator to investigate what could be done to reduce the noise and, in the interim, applied a speed reduction to the vessels," Cr Murphy said.

"Since this has been done, complaints drastically dropped with just 16 complaints received between November 30 and December 27, with no complaints received in 2021."

Cr Murphy said of the complaints received, eight were residents who complained multiple times and one resident contacted the council five times.

"Council is continuing to work with the operator to develop a technical solution using fibreglass inline mufflers, which have been used on similar vessels successfully, and hopes to trial this solution in the coming weeks," he said.

Cr Murphy said the council was still developing a business case for the individual repair needs for each of the eight wooden ferries now left waiting at the Rivergate Marina in Murarrie.

The 30-year-old vessels were abruptly pulled from the river in June last year after lord mayor Adrian Schrinner announced a safety review had found serious issues with hull integrity and maintenance on several of the boats.

Cr Schrinner later revealed then-operator Transdev had paid a $4 million bond to the council over the ferries' condition.

The wooden ferries were eventually replaced by the five KittyCat ferries, brought up from Sydney by operator SeaLink, when a new operating contract began in November between SeaLink and the council.

"It is simply too soon to speculate on the timeline of the return of the timber ferries as the extent of repairs will be dependent on the recommendations and outcomes of the business case," Cr Murphy said on Thursday.

"We have always said timber ferries will return, and this commitment stands."

But opposition leader Jared Cassidy said the council had had "months and months and months" to establish what repairs were needed on the wooden ferries.

"Instead, all Adrian Schrinner has done is cut entire ferry services and introduce noisier vessels," Cr Cassidy said.

"Brisbane residents have a right to be frustrated and angry with this LNP lord mayor and his complete mishandling of the ferry situation.

"It’s not hard to see that this is all part of Adrian Schrinner’s secret plan to scrap the wooden ferries altogether and put public transport into the hands of private companies."