Sydney JetCats

The Sydney JetCats were a class of catamarans operated by the State Transit Authority and Sydney Ferries on the Manly service.

Sydney JetCats

View of the ferry Sea Eagle in Sydney Ferries Corporation livery
Class overview
Builders	NQEA
Operators	State Transit Authority Sydney Ferries
Completed	3
Lost	2
Scrapped	1
General characteristics
Type	Catamaran
Length	34.8 metres
Beam	10 metres
Propulsion	2 x MWM TBD260 V16s
Speed	30 knots
Capacity	268 passengers

History

Three JetCats were delivered in 1990/91 to replace the remaining four Sydney hydrofoils on the Manly service. The 268-seat vessels were built by NQEA, Cairns to an Incat Crowther design.^[1][2]

In December 2008, the State Government announced the JetCat service would cease and called for tenders to operate the service on a commercial basis.^[3] The last JetCat service operated on 31 December 2008.^[4] JetCat patronage had dropped from 1,453,000 passengers per annum in 1995/96 to 393,506 between July and December 2008, while ferry patronage on the route rose from 3.7 million to 6.0 million (full 08/09 year) in the same period.^[5] However this referenced source clearly reveals the change in Jetcat patronage can be explained by the reduction in the number of timetabled Jetcat services being operated from typically 256 return trips per week in 1995/96, down to 116 per week in 2008 (both including ferry replacement trips). The JetCats were sold to a broker, who resold them for three times the price.^[6]

Manly Fast Ferry commenced operating the service on 10 February 2009.^[7]

Since they're departure from Sydney Ferries service all 3 JetCats have been lost or scrapped. MV Sprinter (Formerly Sea Eagle) was destroyed by a fire on the 24th of November 2019 while berthed in Astrakhan, Russia. The vessel was scrapped in the following months. An Arson attack was suspected. St. Dominic (Formerly Sir David Martin) sank on the 26th of October 2020 after sustaining damage to her port side during Typhoon Molave. The vessel capsized just off Mabini, Batangas and sank with no casualties. St. Benedict (Formerly Blue Fin) was withdrawn from service with SuperCat in 2017. The vessel remained laid up in Cebu's Colorado Shipyard with her sister St. Dominic until St. Dominic was restored and returned to service in 2019. St. Benedict stayed at Colorado Shipyard until late 2021 when the vessel was moved to MCF Shipyard. Google Earth imagery shows the vessel was broken up over the course of the following month marking the end of the JetCat fleet.

Vessels

Name	Date in service	Fate
Blue Fin (St. Benedict)	16 July 1990	sold to SuperCat Fast Ferry Corporation as SuperCat 36, renamed St Benedict.[8][9] Scrapped in Cebu in late 2021.
Sir David Martin (St. Dominic 1)	21 December 1990	sold to SuperCat Fast Ferry Corporation as SuperCat 38, renamed St Dominic.[8] Sank during Hurricane Molave in 2020 just off Mabini, Batangas.[citation needed]It is currently unknown whether the vessel has been recovered or remains sunk.
Sea Eagle (Sprinter)	19 March 1991	sold to Korea[which?] as Arcadia, resold to Kazakhstan as CM Jet 5[8] then to Russia as Sprinter, destroyed by fire 24 November 2019.[citation needed] The vessel's remains were scrapped in Astrakhan.

Ex-Manly JetCat "Sea Eagle" was destroyed by fire in 2019 at her berth in Astrakhan, along with another vessel "Forward" - both vessels were "utility boats" serving offshore platforms. Arson is suspected.^{[citation needed]}