WA boat builder to deliver new Transperth ferry

A regional Western Australian boatbuilding company has been selected to deliver the next generation Transperth ferry. 

The $2.6 million project, awarded to Dongara Marine, will deliver the third ferry in the Transperth fleet, after the MV Shelley Taylor-Smith and the MV Phillip Pendal. 

The ferry will be built at Dongara Marine's Port Denison facility and, during peak construction, will create three additional local jobs, including one apprentice.

The new ferry will have 148 seats and an on-board toilet, and will be marginally longer, sleeker and faster than the two existing ferries to help maintain the very busy ferry timetable. 

The ferry is a crowd favourite - in Transperth's recent passenger survey, 99 per cent of passengers said they were satisfied with the service. 

Though the new vessel will be designed to be suitable for journeys longer than the existing Elizabeth Quay to South Perth route, there are no current plans to expand the service. 

After the new ferry is launched, all three ferries will be rotated through service. The MV Shelley Taylor-Smith - Transperth's oldest ferry - will be used predominantly as a reserve and to provide extra capacity on special occasions.

A third ferry will also give Transperth greater flexibility during regular maintenance periods.

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