Cheryl Salisbury rams into the quays in Barangaroo, damaging the bow
A new Sydney ferry has crashed into Barangaroo Quay, forcing the private operator to ground the vessel due to damage to the bow.
The crash happened at 6.15am on Wednesday as the Cheryl Salisbury, one of ten new River-class ferries, maneuvered from Barangaroo Wharf to begin its first service at Circular Quay shortly thereafter. There were no passengers on the ship.
The Cheryl Salisbury struck the Barangaroo ferry dock on Wednesday morning.
It had reversed and was maneuvering to depart when it hit the quay and became trapped. It had to be cut free and was taken to Balmain shipyard awaiting a damage assessment.
Transdev, the operator of Sydney State Ferries, said it had launched an investigation into the crash and notified transport safety authorities.
“One crew member was taken to hospital as a precaution but has not been released from hospital since. The incident resulted in five service outages [on Wednesday] Tomorrow,” it said in a statement.
Transdev said it managed to minimize the disruption to customers.
The Cheryl Salisbury’s bow was damaged in the collision.
The collision comes days after herald revealed two school children were thrown into the Lane Cove River when a ferry dropping them off at Riverview College Wharf floated so far from the pontoon that the gangplank fell into the water. The ship involved in the February 16 incident was operated by Captain Cook Cruises.
The Indonesian-built fleet of 10-strong River-class ferries was struggling when the ships arrived in New South Wales about two years ago. It was found that the ferries would not be able to pass under two bridges on the Parramatta River if commuters sat on the upper deck.
