Passengers on a Robben Island ferry, the Thandi, had to be evacuated after the boat nearly sank on its way back to Table Bay Harbour in Cape Town last Friday.

Managing Director and Owner, Esa Yacoob told Tourism Update that the three-year-old ferry was currently undergoing assessment before repairs could take place, which should take around two weeks to complete.

According to Office Manager, Phirial Williams from Thandi Ferry, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) conducted a seaworthy survey on the vessel three days before the incident.

“Thandi has been chartered by Robben Island Museum since December 2014, and has completed over 3 000 trips since she started operations,” said Williams.

Thandi is one of five vessels owned by Yacoob, the others, however, are not chartered to the Robben Island Museum.

“Not having the ferry running will affect business drastically, especially with the tourism season approaching,” said Yacoob.

“Our priority is always to ensure that our passengers have a safe and enjoyable experience, as has been the case for the past 22 years. We were concerned about the well-being of our passengers who went through this experience and so ensured that all passengers received medical attention,” said Yacoob.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) responded to the emergency on Friday, and managed to help 63 passengers and five crew to safety.

 According Samsa, the ferry was found to be listing to one side from water ingress due to unknown causes.

Debbie James from Samsa Western Cape said: “Passenger vessels are subject to a strict Samsa survey regime to ensure compliance with applicable statutory requirements.”

The ferries that operate to Robben Island have raised many safety concerns over the years, and have come under much scrutiny over recent months due to allegations of price-fixing and collusive tendering. 

“The ferries carry over three hundred thousand visitors to and from Robben Island each year with visitor safety prioritised at all times. We’re confident that Robben Island’s heritage and the Robben Island Museum will continue to be key tourism drawcards to our city,” said Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism.