Sydney’s newest harbour ferries beset by over 40 defects

The 10 new ferries that have been ordered by the New South Wales government from an Indonesian shipyard for use in Sydney Harbour are all undergoing rectification work to address defects that could otherwise significantly hamper their daily operational sailings.

The acceptance process for the vessels also resulted in 43 defects being identified, the government said in response to questions raised by the NSW Parliament regarding the vessels’ construction.

Among the identified defects on the vessels are their inability to pass underneath certain bridges on the Parrammatta River if their top decks are occupied by passengers, their inability to sail in reverse following emergency stops, the presence of asbestos in some onboard spaces, and cabin reflection issues that could prevent the crew from clearly seeing out of the wheelhouse during nighttime.

A spokeswoman for Transdev, the company that operates the ferries, assured parliament that all 43 identified defects have been addressed with some already being fixed. This has allowed the majority of the 10-strong fleet to be put in service for daytime sailings.

The remaining ferries are scheduled to enter service in mid-2022 upon completion of the ongoing rectification work.

The NSW Opposition said in a tweet that the ferries would not be beset by the identified problems had their construction been done locally.