Kangaroo Island community 'desperately cranky' as ferries delayed again

Kangaroo Island residents are "desperately cranky" as their long-awaited new ferry service faces yet another delay, pushing the start date to November, more than a year after it was initially scheduled.

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The community has sort of been misled for a long time and haven't had straight answers, and for this to happen now at the eleventh hour is really quite distressing to many people.

SeaLink, the operator, cited an "incident" during the final testing of its second vessel, Ruwi, in Indonesia. A temporary pipe used for fire deluge system testing failed, causing water to damage electrical components. While these have been replaced, the issue has delayed Ruwi's arrival in South Australia by approximately three weeks.

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The shipbuilder undertook a fire deluge test and unfortunately a temporary pipe that was used for testing purposes failed, which resulted in discharge of water which discharged onto electrical components.

The first ferry, Wanggami, arrived in April, but the second vessel's continued delay has left the community frustrated. Kangaroo Island Mayor Michael Pengilly stated that residents feel "misled" and are distressed by the eleventh-hour announcement. He also noted the impact on livestock movement during the island's busiest periods and called for "straight answers" and potential compensation from SeaLink.

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In fact, I'm angry.

South Australia's Transport Minister Joe Szakacs echoed the frustration, calling the latest update "very concerning" and admitting, "In fact, I'm angry." The repeated postponements have led to cynicism within the community, with residents weary of shifting start dates and uncertain about ferry capacity.

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Kangaroo Islanders are sick of being told when the boat is starting, then it's not starting, then it's starting again.