Australian operator welcomes new commuter ferry to fleet

Transdev Sydney Ferries, an operator of commuter ferries in the city of Sydney, Australia, recently welcomed a new vessel to its fleet.

Martin Green is the fourth in a series of ferries built by Richardson Devine Marine of Hobart. The vessels will be operated by Transdev while ownership will remain with the New South Wales government via Transport for NSW.

While aesthetically similar to the previous River-class vessels in operation in Sydney Harbour, the new Parramatta-class vessels are fully air-conditioned with no upper deck seating and feature floor to ceiling views.

The newer vessels each have a 200-person capacity, and will predominantly run on the busy Parramatta to Circular Quay route. They have been future-proofed for conversion to electric propulsion when network infrastructure is ready. The design also means the new ferries are expected to have a working life of 25 to 30 years.

Like its earlier sisters, Martin Green has an LOA of 26.4 metres, a beam of 7.2 metres, a maximum draught of 1.55 metres, and a depth of 2.2 metres. Two Scania DI13 070M engines that each produce 405 kW at 1,800 rpm drive propellers to deliver a maximum speed of 26 knots and a service speed of 23 knots.