SeaLink dock Spirit of Kangaroo Island for ‘urgent’ repairs, tourists and locals unable to book a ferry spot with their cars

Kangaroo Island residents have slammed SeaLink for pulling the main ferry out of the water for servicing too early in the year, saying people can’t get to Adelaide for urgent appointments.

Kangaroo Island’s sole ferry service to mainland SA has been urged to improve its communication by the local mayor and residents after a boat was pulled from the water for about a month.

From next week, one SeaLink ferry will service KI, as servicing requirements have docked the Spirit of Kangaroo Island for “urgent work”, according to a SeaLink statement.

In recent years, the ferry was taken out of the water during quieter periods in June or July. The statement, released following mounting pressure from concerned locals, came about week after residents took to community social media pages expressing issues with booking trips for urgent medical appointments and family commitments.

“Each year, our vessels are removed from the water into dry dock to undergo scheduled general maintenance and servicing, plus any required repairs,” SeaLink’s statement read. The company said extra services would be scheduled for early mornings and evenings.

SeaLink’s Spirit of Kangaroo Island ferry. Picture: File

However KI Mayor Michael Pengilly described a lack of viable transport options for trips to the mainland as “an emergency”.

“They have to get this boat out of the water at Port Lincoln quite urgently, so we just have to wear that,” he said.

“Their communication with Island residents needs to be better, and they need to be quicker off the mark when something like this happens … they haven’t helped themselves.”

He said he believed SeaLink needed to rethink its priorities, saying he believed the “Island run has become less important.” SeaLink “sincerely apologised” for the increased demand in their statement.

Mayor of Kangaroo Island Michael Pengilly. Picture: Matt Loxton

A KI resident, who asked not to be named, said residents were angry.

“The feeling on the island is utterly irate at the moment, everyone’s talking about it,” the resident said.

The resident said people had been unable to book a ferry trip with their car, as there was no room.

“If you’ve got elderly people who are travelling for health, for dialysis, for cancer treatment, for other health issues, they are often having to travel at a really difficult time, like five o’clock in the morning,” they said. “I’m concerned there are genuine health outcomes from people just not being able to make it for appointments.”

The KI resident, who also operates a local business, also said tourism was being “choked”.

Deputy Chair of the KI Tourism Alliance, Pierre Gregor, said the decision had “ramifications”.

“It is difficult, certainly during a period when there has been a gradual increase in visitation and a bit of a return to normality,” Mr Gregor said. “A lot of operators would say that the timing is unfortunate.”

Mr Gregor said May was usually a strong month for tourism, with a jump from 10,000 visits in 2019 to 15,000 in 2021. “So right now … May was looking good, but there are some ramifications … there have been some considerable complaints,” he said.

But both Mr Pengilly and the concerned resident praised SeaLink staff with capacity management and ferry shuffling. “Their staff are utterly outstanding … they’re patient, they’re warm and tactful,” the resident said.