The incident involving the Fairlight comes a day after another of the second-generation Emerald-class ferries,the Clontarf,had a steering failure,causing major delays to Manly passenger services.
The Fairlight experienced a steering failure near Fort Denison on Monday afternoon as it sailed from Manly to Circular Quay,resulting in it stopping in the path of the Coral Princess which was departing Sydney Harbour,according to two sources. A tug was also escorting the cruise ship.
The Fairlight is one of three new Emerald-class ferries that the government bought for the Manly route.Wolter Peeters
Transport for NSW said it had ordered an immediate risk assessment after the Fairlight and Balmoral were taken out of service on Monday,a day after the Clontarf was withdrawn from the Manly-Circular Quay route.
“When the Fairlight experienced a mechanical issue late[on Monday],a decision was made to also withdraw the Balmoral from service as a precaution,” it said.
The agency said assessments were being carried out to determine the cause of the incident involving the Fairlight and whether it was linked to those affecting the Clontarf,which remained out of service while tests were conducted.
“Customers will experience a similar timetable to normal[on Monday] evening and[on Tuesday] with interim arrangements put in place to service the Manly-to-Circular Quay route,” it said.
The Maritime Union of Australia,which represents deck-hands on ferries,said the government needed to direct the state’s transport safety agency to urgently investigate the problems plaguing the new Emerald-class ferries.
“This is why the four Freshwater ferries should be returned to service immediately,” the union’s assistant secretary Paul Garrett said.
The second-generation Emerald-class ferries are at the centre of a fierce debate over whether they can handle large swells as well as the they are designed to replace on the Manly-Circular Quay route. The government plans to retire two of the four Freshwater ferries.
The Coral Princess berthed at Circular Quay.Peter Rae
The latest incidents come just five months after independent inspectors found a near the front of the Fairlight.
Transport for NSW launched a review of the Emerald-class vessels early this year,while their poor performance also led to the agency taking “contractual actions” against Transdev,which operates the government-owned vessels.
Acting shadow transport minister John Graham said it was clear there were systemic issues with the overseas-built Emerald-class ferries. “The public expect a response from the NSW government and the Office of Transport Safety Investigations,” he said. “The government,OTSI and the operator need to come up with a plan to fix them before a passenger gets hurt.”
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