MANAGEMENT of the Robben Island Museum (RIM) has moved to quell trade concerns over its ability to handle tourist volumes over the forthcoming summer season. 

One of its charter ferries, the ‘Thandi’, is currently out of action after 64 passengers and five crew-members had to be rescued on September 15 when the vessel took on water while returning to Cape Town.

“I can reassure the trade that we will have enough capacity and that we always have contingency plans in place,” Senior Ferry Manager, Sandresan Thandroyan, told local tour operators on Friday, after they were hosted on a Robben Island tour by Wesgro, the province’s tourism and trade promotion body. Thandroyan would not comment on the cause of the incident as it was being investigated internally and by the SA Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).

RIM executive director, Gershon Manana, told Tourism Update that five ferries were in operation at present.  At this stage, there was no need to contract in more ferries as capacity could be managed through schedule adjustments, he said.  RIM only operates two ferries itself:  ‘Dias’ (in operation) and ‘Sikhululekile’ (currently undergoing routine maintenance), while the rest are chartered from local boat operators. 

Manana said RIM maintained strict oversight over its charter operations. He said ferry operators were contracted for 36 months and subject to stringent guidelines and SAMSA compliance safety measures. Vessels were also required to have a regular maintenance schedule. “We have an operational team in place that monitors our ferries and we have ‘mystery shoppers’ who go onboard to check on operations. The safety and comfort of our passengers is very important to us,” he said.