A new generation of environmentally friendly ferries will take to Sydney Harbour by 2035, the NSW government has announced.

The nine first fleet vessels – which entered service in the mid-1980s – are set to retire by the end of the decade. In preparation, Transport for NSW has begun gathering design proposals from Australian companies seeking to produce the new fleet of electric-powered Freshwaters which – when operational – will ferry commuters and tourists from Circular Quay to Manly and back.

“While we’ve extended the life of our Freshwater vessels, it’s important that we continue to plan for our future fleet,” minister for transport Jo Haylen said. “Manly needs high-capacity, reliable vessels that can load and unload hundreds of commuters and tourists within minutes of a ferry pulling into Manly or the Quay.”

The previous government had planned to retire the Freshwater fleet from service – a decision NSW premier Chris Minns described as “reckless”.

Their replacement – the Emerald-class ferries – were introduced in October 2021. However, the Chinese-built ferries have been plagued by problems ever since including cracked hulls, over-heating issues and sudden steering failure.

“What we found with the overseas built Emerald IIs was that they weren’t built for the conditions, and people were left on wharves in the summer months because the single gangway couldn’t load these ferries fast enough,” Haylen said.

In February, the NSW government announced that all three Emerald-class ferries would undergo engine refits and replaced with heavier duty versions – a process that will likely last until the end of the year, if all runs smoothly.

Ferries on the Manly run started out as paddle-steamers in the 1850s, before becoming diesel-powered in the 1980s. Moving with the times, the 21^st-century fleet of ferries will incorporate zero-emissions technology.

“These new ferries will continue the important legacy of the Freshwaters, provide the capacity the community needs and combine it with new zero-emission propulsion to deliver a next generation ferry that’ll be fit for our harbour for years to come,” Haylen said.

Councillor Candy Bingham – a member of the Save the Manly Ferry Committee – said she’s pleased the new ferries will be powered by green energy. “We’ve called for any Freshwater replacement to be a fully electric look alike to the Freshwater Manly Ferries, and I hope this market sounding process delivers us exactly that,” Bingham said. “The Manly Ferry has always been iconic to Sydney. This next generation zero-emissions look-alike ferry will continue that history.”