Two ferries vying for a share of the Robben Island visitor business collided in the island's historic harbour last week. The accident is the latest embarrassing setback for Robben Island's ferry service, which hit rock bottom last year with the news that its flagship ferry was too large to navigate safely over rocks at the harbour entrance.As a result, the island has had to rely heavily on private contractors for the past few years.Last week two contracted ferries, the Sea Princess and Thembekile, collided on April 1."I thought it was an April Fool's Day joke," said Craig Girdlestone of Schooner Cruises, which operates the Sea Princess."She was moored at the quay and had passengers on board and was waiting to leave the island," the spokesman said."The Thembekile arrived and was trying to manoeuvre onto the end of the jetty."It is a small area and the Thembekile is too big to operate in the confined area with other boats."Skippers agree it was an accident waiting to happen," Girdlestone said.He said the Thembekile collided with the rear of the Sea Princess, prompting the skipper to disembark all passengers.The boat has since been undergoing repairs in the Cape Town harbour and is expected back in the water today."Damage was to the aft starboard swim platform and did not affect the safety of the vessel. However, the safety authorities require a full hull survey," Girdlestone said.The accident had resulted in a loss of revenue during prime tourist season, he said.Richard Smith, spokesman for Thembekile Maritime Services, denied there was any major damage to the Sea Princess and said much of the repair work related to "other problems"."The SA Maritime Safety Authority surveyed our boat and found it 100%. They found no reason to stop it operating," he said.But Girdlestone insisted the Sea Princess suffered serious damage in the incident."The collision caused sufficient damage under water. An SA Maritime Safety Authority survey revealed the full extent of the damage and the vessel has been removed from service pending a full repair."The vessel needed to be emergency lifted out of the water the following day after a night of pumping water out of the damaged hull," Girdlestone said.Rough rideIn January, a ferry got lost in thick mist on the way to the island and had to be rescued. The island claimed there was a problem with the ferry's navigation system.Last year, the island confirmed that its flagship ferry, Sikhululekile, which cost R26-million, suffered major keel damage due to repeatedly bashing into rocks in the harbour.A 2011 labour dispute involving the island's harbour master exposed a long list of alleged incidents, including ferries almost running aground and being flooded with seawater. It was also alleged that a skipper had been drunk on duty.Mechanical problems with the island's two "historic" ferries, the Diaz and the Susan Kruger, have dogged the service for years, causing major delays for passengers...