As with any type of service in the highly politicised arena of public
transport, there is so much bs going around.

[quote]
CCTV appears to show passengers not in discomfort on cancelled Emerald
class ferry service

The operators of the new ferries say CCTV appears to show passengers were
not ‘uncomfortable or distressed’ before the service was cancelled on
Sunday, as an independent body investigates.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/journalists/julie-cross
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/journalists/julie-cross
November 26, 2021 - 5:00AM
Manly Daily
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/manly-daily/cctv-appears-to-show-passengers-not-in-discomfort-on-cancelled-emerald-class-ferry-service/news-story/6180ad3edfcab23ecdf968188b470155#share-tools

Operators of the new Emerald class ferries that saw its services cancelled
on Sunday due to a swell of less than 2.5m, have reviewed CCTV and say
passengers did not seem to be in discomfort, as was previously suggested.

A spokesman for Transdev said “initial investigation findings indicate that
passenger services could have carried on safely and without undue
discomfort to passengers in the same and higher sea conditions”.

The skipper of a ferry ultimately makes the call on whether to pull a
service or not.

On Sunday the skipper of the Fairlight decided to halt the run over
concerns for passenger comfort.
The new Manly Ferry ‘Fairlight’ was pulled from the F1 route on Sunday due
to the Master’s concerns for passenger comfort. Picture: Adam Yip

Later a second skipper, on a first generation Emerald, decided not to
continue the service either.

“Initial review of CCTV footage from those Emerald Class vessels services
indicates that customers do not appear to be uncomfortable or distressed in
anyway during the journeys in question,” a Transdev spokesman said.

It comes as an independent transport safety body has confirmed it is
looking at why the new Emerald class ferry service from Manly to Circular
Quay had to be cancelled on Sunday.

The Office of Transport Safety Investigations said it had been asked by
Transdev to investigate.

A spokesman for OTSI said it had “received a notification from the operator
of the Manly ferry service, Transdev Sydney Ferries, relating to the
cancellation of services on Sunday 21 November”.

“OTSI is undertaking preliminary enquiries into the matter, including
liaising with the operator, to understand what happened and to determine
whether there are any systemic safety issues that require further
attention,” the spokesman said.

On the OTSI website it said that its role “is to identify why an accident
or incident occurred and to make recommendations to prevent recurrence”.

A spokesman for Transdev said in this instance OTSI was contacted in
relation to a complaint by one Master about another.

“On Sunday 21 November, some F1 Manly services operated by Emerald Gen 2
were replaced by buses after a Master cited concerns about passenger
comfort due to sea conditions, despite the conditions being well within the
capabilities of the vessels,” a Transdev spokesman said.

“Subsequent to this, an internal report was provided to Transdev
questioning a separate

Master’s decision to proceed with a trip after being advised of potential
for passenger discomfort.

“Transdev chose to proactively report the matter to the Office of Transport
Safety Investigations (OTSI) and Australian Maritime Safety Authority
(AMSA).

“OTSI have only requested a copy of Transdev’s internal investigation and
not initiated their own investigation. The internal investigation raises no
concern in relation to safety of the vessel, passengers or crew.”

The spokesman went on to say that the Master who made the decision not to
operate the Gen 2 Emerald Class Fairlight service on Sunday has many years
of experience on the Freshwater vessels but recently transitioned to
operating Emerald vessels.

He said while Transdev “supported the Master’s decision not to operate the
service if deemed unsuitable for passenger service, initial investigation
findings indicate that passenger services could have carried on safely and
without undue discomfort to passengers in the same and higher sea
conditions.

“Initial review of CCTV footage from those Emerald Class vessels services
indicates that customers do not appear to be uncomfortable or distressed in
anyway during the journeys in question,” the spokesman said.

“Transdev will share the findings of the internal investigation with OTSI
once finalised.”

Transport for NSW has repeatedly said the boats are designed to cope with
swells of up to 4.5m, but have yet to undergo a risk assessment for swells
of more than 2.5m.

This week, Marty McEvilly, an official from the Australian Maritime
Officers Union (AMOU), told the *Manly Daily, *that the skipper made the
call to stop running the ferry because “there was a pretty significant
concern for passenger comfort”.

“I was told it was like landing on concrete when it was coming down on top
of the swell,” he said.

The larger Freshwater class ferries – which were running in tandem with the
new ferries on Sunday – were able to operate as normal. The Manly Fast
Ferry was also still in service.

The new faster Emerald class ferries are due to take over the route from
the larger ferries on weekdays by the end of the year, with the promise of
more frequent crossings.

But campaigners fighting against the removal of the Freshwater class
ferries from the F1 route have been warning that the new vessels would not
be able to cope with the swell across the heads.

It’s also been discovered that at very low tides the new ferries cannot
dock at the usual wharfs at both Manly or Circular Quay.

Mr McEvilly said the union was concerned that the Emerald class was not
“fit for purpose” for the Manly run.

“They are not designed to handle the swells or the passenger numbers when
we get back to normal,” he said.

“We are going to see a whole lot of runs cancelled and replaced with buses
in situations where the Freshwaters are more than capable of running.”

[unquote]

Tony P

On Sunday, 28 November 2021 at 15:49:04 UTC+11gregsut...@...
wrote:

> Window shattered, rudder problem identified as new Manly ferry fails

> testing

>

>

>

> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/window-shattered-rudder-problem-identified-as-new-manly-ferry-fails-testing-20211128-p59cv4.html

>