RUWI departed Batam at approx. 8.15am (11.45am ACDT) on 24 October 2026, embarking on a 4,200-nautical-mile voyage travelling down Australia's west coast and across the Great Australian Bight before arriving in Port Adelaide. Its journey is expected to take around two weeks to complete, subject to weather and operational conditions.

SeaLink’s Acting Chief Operating Officer Phil Boyle welcomed RUWI's departure and acknowledged the significant effort involved in getting it underway.

"Seeing RUWI depart Indonesia and begin her journey to South Australia is a significant moment for everyone involved in delivering the new Kangaroo Island ferry service. Securing the vessel and arranging her departure and delivery has taken a mammoth effort from our team, and we're delighted to see her finally on her way to Adelaide and another step closer to commencing service for the community of Kangaroo Island, " Phil Boyle said – and continues:

"We know the Kangaroo Island community has been eagerly awaiting both new ferries, and we do sincerely appreciate their patience as we have worked around the clock to bring RUWI into service alongside her twin sister WANGGAMI as quickly as possible."

The ramp infrastructure works at Cape Jervis and Penneshaw were completed on 22 October following the planned three-day ferry service shutdown, which included the installation of new vehicle ramps and the supporting infrastructure to accommodate the two larger ferries.

Ferry services resumed as planned on Friday, 23 October 2026, with SEALION 2000 currently operating on a limited timetable while the first new vessel, WANGGAMI, completes its final in-harbour testing and crew preparations before commencing service.

WANGGAMI will commence service on Tuesday 27 October 2026 alongside SEALION 2000 on the current standard ferry timetable. A new expanded ferry timetable will commence when RUWI has arrived and starts service with WANGGAMI.

When RUWI arrives into Port Adelaide it will undergo final preparations before it enters service, expected by the end of November. This will also see the commencement of the expanded ferry timetable. SeaLink will confirm a start date for RUWI after it arrives.

Mr Boyle said the identical, purpose-built ferries are 10 metres longer and two metres wider than the existing vessels, offering around 65% more vehicle lane length capacity per sailing, nearly doubling the number of departures a day.

“The drive on and off in the same direction will make boarding and disembarking quicker, safer and easier. Gone are the days of reversing vehicles onto the ferry and passengers will be able to board and disembark in their vehicles,” he said.

Passengers will also enjoy spacious lounges with comfortable booth-style seating, panoramic windows, a larger café and outdoor sundeck seating. Both vessels feature a lift connecting the vehicle deck, passenger lounge and sundeck, accessible toilets on every level and a dedicated air-conditioned pet lounge.

The two newbuildings, built by Karimun Marine Shipyard, have a length overall 60 metres, a beam of 20 metres, and gross tonnage of 2,962. The two conventional RoPax ferries have catamaran hulls.

© Shippax