Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian will on Wednesday release the government's policy on ferries for the next twenty years.
The six new vessels would be the first procured by the state since 2001 when the SuperCats,which travel on routes in the eastern suburbs,entered service.
But Ms Berejiklian cannot say yet what the new ferries will look like - whether they will resemble the older''Lady''or''First Fleet''class vessels,or if they will resemble the sleeker SuperCats and RiverCat catamarans - nor what boats they will replace.
The new vessels,once they are designed and built by a naval architect to be hired by the government,will enter service in 2016.
From October,there will be a new ferry timetable to complement bus and train timetables that are also being re-written.
In the eastern suburbs,the timetable will include a more frequent and direct service from Rose Bay to Circular Quay in weekday peak hours.