A new Sydney ferry has crashed into wharves at Barangaroo, forcing the private operator to pull the vessel from service due to damage to its bow.
The crash occurred at 6.15am on Wednesday when the Cheryl Salisbury, one of 10 new River-class ferries, was manoeuvring away from Barangaroo Wharf to start its first service from Circular Quay a short time later. There were no passengers on the vessel.
The Cheryl Salisbury hit the Barangaroo ferry wharf on Wednesday morning.
It had backed out and was manoeuvring to depart when it hit the wharf and became wedged. It had to be cut free and was taken to the Balmain shipyards, where it is awaiting a damage assessment.
Transdev, the operator of Sydney’s government-owned ferries, said it had started an investigation into the crash and had notified transport safety regulators.
“A crew member was taken to hospital as a precaution but has been cleared since then. The incident led to five service cancellations [on Wednesday] morning,” it said in a statement.
Transdev said it had worked to minimise the disruption to customers.
The Cheryl Salisbury’s bow was damaged in the collision.
The collision comes days after the Herald revealed two school children were thrown into the Lane Cove River when a ferry dropping them at Riverview College Wharf floated so far away from the pontoon that the gangplank collapsed into the water. The vessel involved in the February 16 incident was operated by Captain Cook Cruises.
Built in Indonesia, the 10-strong River-class ferry fleet was plagued with defects when the vessels arrived in NSW about two years ago. It was discovered the ferries would be unable to pass under two bridges on the Parramatta River if commuters were seated on the top deck.