Serious concerns have been raised over the reliability of ferry services to and from Kangaroo Island ahead of planned dock and vessel upgrades. 

Kangaroo Island Council Mayor Michael Pengilly has written to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport about his concern about SeaLink's reliability after recent breakdowns. 

"What we're really worried about at the moment is the reliability of the two current vessels," he said.

"They're both about 20 years old. One in particular seems to be having its fair share of problems.

Mr Pengilly says spring's arrival will begin the island's busiest shipping period.

"September through to March or April is our peak time for freight, all our livestock go off. Wool, grain.

"[And] all our visitors come over.

Penneshaw, Cape Jervis upgrades

The South Australia government has released information to the ABC saying a tender has been released for upgrades to ports at Penneshaw and Cape Jervis to continue supporting ferry services between Adelaide and the island.

The wharf at Penneshaw is set to be refurbished to include upgrades to the berthing and mooring facilities.

The adjacent public jetty is also set to allow for access to tenders from smaller vessels and cruise ships. 

The Cape Jervis Wharf is also upgrading its berthing and mooring facilities and passenger access. 

"The release of the tender is an important milestone for the project," Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis said.

"I encourage anyone interested in the upgrades to attend the community information sessions that will be held in coming months."

The upgrades to the berthing and mooring facilities are required as the new ferries will not have ramps for vehicles to drive aboard.

It was announced in late 2021 that SeaLink would continue to run the island's ferry service, with two new larger vessels to come into play from July 2024. 

The new vessels are currently being built at an island near Indonesia, Mr Pengilly said.

Assurances needed: mayor

Mr Pengilly said SeaLink had not communicated its plans for ensuring a reliable ferry service before the older vessels were upgraded. 

"What we really want to know is what is the fallback position if there's a breakdown that's really going to slow things up," he said.

"We want to know what they're going to do. Are they going to run one ferry 24 hours a day if the other has a major breakdown?

"We need assurances that the current vessels are mechanically sound and deliver services as required until the new vessels arrive." 

SeaLink has been contacted for a response.