Sydney's first electric ferry is a trial. The 2026 date has already moved.
Jason Rieck · Cat Cruisers · Gold Coast · 30 September 2026
On 19 May 2026, The Driven reported that the New South Wales government had signed with Tasmanian yard Richardson Devine Marine for Sydney Harbour's first battery-electric ferry. It is one boat, built to trial, not a fleet order.
My take, early. A single 24-metre trial with shoreside charging at one wharf is the honest scope. The older promise, a Parramatta River electric ferry in 2026, is not the timetable in this article.
What was contracted
The trial ferry is 24 metres and based on the Parramatta River Class, designed by Sydney naval architects Incat Crowther. The Driven says it will operate for 12 months from early 2028, then enter service on the new Sydney Fish Markets route in 2029. Charging gear is to go in at Barangaroo Wharf.
Transport Minister John Graham called it the first step as the ferry fleet moves off diesel "over coming years", and described the boat as Northern Beaches-designed and Australian-built. Transport for NSW and operator Transdev Sydney Ferries are to judge performance and service range before the state decides on more electric ferries.
The plan was first announced in September 2024. Then, the first fully electric ferry was to join the Parramatta River service in 2026, with Manly and inner-harbour boats to follow.
What else this piece mentions
The same article notes two other yards, as asides, not as part of the Sydney contract. Brisbane's Aus Ships Group had, just over a week earlier, announced a partnership with Volvo Penta for what The Driven called Australia's first electric-drive passenger ferry, then under construction and due to be commissioned by the end of 2026. Incat in Hobart had finished Hull 096 and was also building large battery-electric ferries for a Danish operator.
Those are The Driven's sentences on 19 May. They are not a status check from me today, and none of those brands are on a Cat Cruisers boat.
Figures that are actually in the article
- One trial ferry, 24 metres
- 12 months of trial operation from early 2028
- Fish Markets route service in 2029
- Shoreside charging at Barangaroo Wharf
- No passenger count, battery size, speed, or price in this piece
Honest caveats
The headline says Sydney should have its first electric ferry within two years. The body dates the trial from early 2028 and route service in 2029. I am using the body dates.
The government has not committed to more boats. The article says that decision waits on the trial.
A May article cannot tell you, on 30 September, whether the Aus Ships commissioning line still holds. I am not updating it from memory.
Where it meets a Cat Cruisers
I build trailerable electric boats on the Gold Coast. We charge from shore power and use the boat for camping. There is no link here to Richardson Devine Marine, Transdev, or the Sydney contract.
What lines up is the shore plug. Theirs is a wharf at Barangaroo for a trial roster. Ours is a trailer boat after a day out, including camping. I like that they are testing one boat before they order a fleet. That is the part worth copying, not the timetable.
catcruisers.com.au · 0426 531 750
Sources
1. Joshua S. Hill, The Driven, "Sydney Harbour expected to have its first electric ferry within two years", 19 May 2026. https://thedriven.io/2026/05/19/sydney-harbour-expected-to-have-its-first-electric-ferry-within-two-years/ (accessed 30 September 2026).