SEALINK is starting its annual winter maintenance program for the Kangaroo Island ferries early.
The Spirit of Kangaroo Island (SPOKI) is being taken out of service a little earlier because of urgent work required.
"We usually do (maintenance) in winter and low peak periods to reduce the impact on service capacity - however, this year, the SPOKI needs be taken out of service earlier due to urgent work required," SeaLink posted.
"We will also take this opportunity to complete the regular yearly maintenance. This will be conducted in Port Lincoln and we anticipate it will be out of water and out of service for about four weeks."
SPOKI is expected to be back in service by June, after which the other ferry, the Sealion 2000, will then go in for its maintenance.
SPOKI is the Island's freight specialist and so its loss has a bigger impact on locals and visitors booking vehicles.
Local tourism business, including accommodation providers, are having to turn away customers who wanted to drive to the Island in coming weeks.
A spokesperson said there was always sufficient walk-on capacity even during maintenance, with a bus to make connections.
The ferry maintenance occurs every year over winter when the two vessels take their turn in the dry dock of Port Adelaide or Port Lincoln, leaving the single vessel on the Penneshaw to Cape Jervis route.
When maintenance work is complete on SPOKI, the other ferry being Sealion 2000 will then be taken out of service for its annual dry docking and maintenance.
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The company released a statement on social media on Friday:
"Each year, our vessels are removed from the water into dry dock to undergo scheduled general maintenance and servicing, plus any required repairs.
This is part of our commitment to ongoing safety and ensures we are best placed to deliver a reliable service year-round.
We usually do this in winter and low peak periods to reduce the impact on service capacity - however, this year, the Spirit of Kangaroo Island ferry (SPOKI) needs be taken out of service earlier due to urgent work required. We will also take this opportunity to complete the regular yearly maintenance. This will be conducted in Port Lincoln and we anticipate it will be out of water and out of service for about four weeks.
This has resulted in increased demand on ferry services in the short term, for which we sincerely apologise. We have done our best to keep SPOKI in service during peak holiday seasons and over long weekends, but the vessel must now be docked for repairs.
We have added as much capacity as possible over the course of each day, utilising our Sealion 2000 ferry, with extra earlier and later services being added, and we encourage you to consider travelling at those times if your preferred departure time is not available.
With regards to travelling to or from Kangaroo Island urgently, we acknowledge that vehicle deck space is the primary issue. We would like to remind travellers that there is always plenty of passenger spaces available and that we also offer a connecting bus service each morning and evening to and from Adelaide, and to and from Kingscote.
We expect SPOKI to return to service by early June and we will keep you posted on the progress."
Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
