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Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC)
RORO Cargo Ships And Vehicle Carriers That Were Converted Into ROPAXes In The Philippines
Posted on September 24, 2019 by psssadmin
RORO (Roll-on, Roll-off) Cargo Ships differ from ROPAXes (RORO-Passenger Ships) in that the former are mainly for carrying rolling cargo (vehicles mainly but could also be heavy equipment) with their drivers and crew and as such their passenger capacity and amenities like a restaurant or cafeteria are small. They are mainly designed to ferry vehicles across the sea with the least loading and unloading time. Their sizes vary depending on the distance and the traffic volume. Generally, they have higher sides.
In the Philippines, they are represented currently by the Super Shuttle RORO 7, Super Shuttle RORO 8, Super Shuttle RORO 9, Super Shuttle RORO 10, Super Shuttle RORO 11 and the Super Shuttle RORO 12 of the Asian Marine Transport Corporation (AMTC). They are also represented by the Dapitan Bay 1, Panglao Bay 1 and Batangas Bay 1 of Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. (CAGLI). But this selection is the relatively large ones by RORO Cargo Ship standard. There were smaller versions of it in the past.
Vehicle Carriers are similar to RORO Cargo Ships but instead of acting like commuters they deliver vehicles from the factories to a destination and so they will come back without load unlike the RORO Cargo Ships. Vehicle Carriers could be smaller or bigger than RORO Cargo Ships but lately they began growing bigger to be more efficient in bringing new cars from the likes of Japan to the United States. Those delivering cars within Japan only were considerably smaller.
In the Philippines, there were several RORO Cargo Ships and Vehicle Carriers that were converted into ROPAXes or what is commonly called as ROROs here and most became RORO Liners of the major liner companies. Per ton, a RORO Cargo Ship or a Vehicle Carrier is cheaper than a ROPAX as it doesn't have that much equipment and amenities for passengers. Besides, for the same size, they could have smaller engine/engines and so the speed is a bit less.
In refitting, it is possible that in a RORO Cargo Ship or a Vehicle Carrier that metal has to chopped off. Meanwhile, locally, it is normal to add metal to a ROPAX from Japan to add decks for more passenger accommodation. Viewing areas were not considered in the building of RORO Cargo Ships and Vehicle Carriers and that could be one reason for chopping off metal.
I noticed that RORO Cargo or Vehicle Carrier conversion here goes by streaks by shipping lines that has a liking for them for the benefits they offer like a smaller capital cost for the same capacity and I agree with them it is a route worth taking. Maybe the first who took this route was the K&T Shipping Lines which was later known as the Maypalad Shipping Lines after their ferry Kalibo Star sank in Samar Sea in the late 1990s.
Many do not know that K&T Shipping was among the first in the acquisition of ROROs and maybe one reason for that is their ROROs do not look like the traditional ROROs of the other shipping lines. Their first RORO was the Samar Queen that was later renamed into Samar Star which actually became their last ship existing but not sailing. This ship was classified as a Ferry-RORO in Japan but she has the looks a cargo ship like a trio of sister ships K&T Shipping later acquired – the Leyte Star (a.k.a. Leyte Queen), the Cebu Star (a.k.a. Cebu Queen) and the Kalibo Star (a.k.a. Ocean Star). The difference is these four ships have rear-quarter ramps and a car deck and in order for them to carry passengers, K&T Shipping built a passenger deck atop the car deck. In Japan, the trio was classified as Vehicle Carriers.
The Leyte Star by Edison Sy of PSSS.
The Samar Queen was smaller than the three sister ships at 56.6m x 9.0m x 5.6m and she arrived in 1980 which was just the dawn of RORO (more exactly ROPAX) shipping in the Philippines. Meanwhile, the Leyte Queen arrived in 1984 and the Cebu Queen arrived in 1986. Then the ill-fated Kalibo Star arrived in 1992. All of the three were former Toyo Maru ships in Japan but they have different owners. The external measurement of the Kalibo Star was 72.0m x 10.4m x 4.5m and the measurements of the other two sister ships hew closely to this.
The trio of sister ships were powered by a single 1,250-horsepower Hanshin engine which gave a design speed of 12.5 knots. The Samar Star has a single 1,300 Nippatsu-Fuji engine giving a speed of 13 knots. And this brings up one characteristic of small RORO Cargo ships and Vehicle Carriers. They are generally powered by a single engine only whereas ROPAXes of their size almost invariably have two engines and are faster.
Cebu Star by Rex Nerves of PSSS.
These four K&T ships have one of the minimum conversions in this type of ships. At the start, the passengers just have to unroll cots and look for a place that they prefer. Their main cargo here was not rolling cargo either. Nothing unusual in that as most Cebu overnight ferries carry loose and palletized cargo in the main. In loading and unloading, forklifts are used just like in the other Cebu overnight ferries.
Before I digress further, the first of this type of ships converted into ROPAX might be the Don Carlos of Sulpicio Lines Inc. which arrived in 1977 and was classified as a Vehicle Carrier in Japan. Actually, the Don Carlos could very well be our very first ROPAX that is not an LCT. This ship was formerly the Daiten Maru of the Masumoto Kisen KK in Japan. She also not carried rolling cargo except for some trucks and heavy equipment destined for the South (her route is to General Santos City) and on the return trip livestock was loaded. She suffered a piracy attack in 1978 and later she was just used as a cargo ship.
Research by Gorio Belen in the National Library.
The Don Carlos measured 71.6m x 10.9m x 4.9m which is almost the same of the measurements of the K&T Shipping sistership trio. However, this Sulpicio ferry looks like a regular ROPAX after refitting. She was equipped with a single Hanshin engine of 1,300 horsepower and her design speed was 12.5 knots and that speed was her one weakness as she was sailing a long route.
The second shipping company that had a liking for this type of ship to be converted as ROPAXes was the Carlos A. Gothong Lines, Inc. (CAGLI). This happened when they were building up their fleet so that they can return to their Manila route after her break-up with Lorenzo Shipping Corporation. After the break-up Gothong Lines concentrated on the Visayas-Mindanao routes but they relied on small ROPAXes. For the Manila route, they needed bigger ships and acquiring this type I am discussing was their route.
Their first of this type converted to ROPAX might have been the Our Lady of Guadalupe which was Asaka Maru No.8 in Japan and was classified as a Ferry-RORO. But to me she has the built of a Vehicle Carrier which meant metal has to be taken off rather than added like what happens in the former ROPAXes of Japan brought here. One thing notable in the Our Lady of Guadalupe is the high sides with few viewing areas for passengers. The two traits are traits of Vehicle Carriers.
Our Lady of Guadalupe by Toshihiko Mikami of PSSS.
The Our Lady of Guadalupe measured 89.7m x 14.4m x 4.8m with a passenger capacity of 674 persons. She was powered by two Niigata engines with a total of 5,400 horsepower and her top sustained speed when new was 16 knots. She was fielded in the Manila route in 1986 before being downgraded by Gothong Lines to the Cebu-Surigao route in the early 1990s and she had the reputation of being unreliable and that helped the new Cokaliong Shipping Lines Inc. to survive in the route. Her unreliability was never resolved even when she was passed on to the Cebu Ferries Company after the "Great Merger" of 1996.
In 1990, Gothong Lines acquired a pair of sister ships classified as RORO Cargo ships in Japan. The two are the Shinsei Maru which became the Our Lady of Sacred Heart and the Shinka Maru which became first as the Sto. Nino de Cebu. The latter suffered a fire early on after fielding (how can a ship with such a magical name catch fire?) but she was repaired and she was renamed into the Our Lady of Medjugorje. The two are among the better conversions that I have seen and in the latter I love her verandas and she was among my favorite ships.
Our Lady of Sacred Heart by Chief Ray Smith of PSSS.
The sister ships have already been lengthened in Japan and they measured an identical 123.0m x 18.0m x 12.3 meters and that size was average for many of the liners that came in 1990-92 although their passenger capacity did not reach 2,000 persons. The two were not built in the same shipyard. The Our Lady of Sacred Heart was built by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding in 1978 and the Our Lady of Medjugorje was built by the Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding in 1979. The first had a single 9,000 horsepower Mitsui engine while the latter had a single 8,000 horspower engine but both had a design speed of 17 knots which became 16.5 knots in the country. In the "Great Merger" they were transferred to WG&A and they continued to ply a route from Manila and sometimes pairing with each other as they have the same speed (sometimes with SuperFerry 3 too that also has the same speed with them).
Our Lady of Medjugorje by Albritz Salih of PSSS.
A related company, the Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC) acquired in 2009 and 2010 two ships, the Asakaze and Esan which became the Cebu Ferry 2 and Cebu Ferry 3. In Japan they were classified as Ferry-ROROs but they do not look like the type. They might have a small passenger capacity but both featured open car decks and so plenty of metal has to be added in them to become ROPAXes. I do not consider the two part of the type I am discussing.
When Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. divested from WG&A, their first acquisition in 2001 when the divestment was not yet complete was actually a RORO Cargo ship, the Koyo Maru of Keiyo Kisen which became the Butuan Bay 1 in their fleet. At 114.8m x 19.0m x 9.6m, she was not a small ship. What are striking about her was her height and the length of her ramp. The ship was built by Iwagi Zosen in 1989 and she is powered by a single Mitsubishi-MAN engine with 9,600 horsepower that gave her a speed of 17.5 knots.
Butuan Bay 1 by Josel Nino Bado of PSSS.
However, her refitting was not first-class (two passenger decks were just added atop her decks) and so when she was sold to Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. (TASLI) in 2010 after an engine room explosion, TASLI remodeled the ship comprehensibly and she became a looker as the Trans-Asia 5. However, when MARINA took exception to her conking out and wallowing in water (the disadvantage of a single-engine design), she was reverted into a cargo ship and parts of her superstructure were removed. Still, she is a good-looking ship.
The old Trans-Asia 5 by Michael Roger Denne of PSSS.
The new Trans-Asia 5 by Mike Baylon of PSSS.
Recently, another shipping company took as liking for this type to be converted into ROPAXes. This is the Asian Marine Transport Corporation (AMTC) which also operates many RORO Cargo ships for their cargo liner operations. Their conversions started their Super Shuttle RORO series but it stopped at three as it seems they found out they were not really good in passenger liner operations.
Their first ship converted was the small RORO Cargo ship Cebu Trader which became the Super Shuttle RORO 1. This ship was built in 1978 by Trosvik Verskted in Norway and has passed into many hands already which is normal in Europe especially for this type. She measured 97.2m x 16.6m x 6.4m and she was powered by two Hedemora engines with a low total of 2,600 horsepower but still her design speed was 14.5 knots (which is a little doubtful).
Super Shuttle RORO 1 by Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD of PSSS.
AMTC acquired this ship in 2011 and she was tastefully and even moderniscally refitted in Ouano port for ASR in Mandaue, Cebu which showed none of her age. However, she did not serve long as in 2012 she caught fire in heavy downpour while taking shelter from a tropical storm in Looc Bay in Tablas Island, Romblon on a route from Batangas to Dumaguit via Odiongan. She was never repaired.
The next in the series actually came in 2010 and was a small Vehicle Carrier. This was the former Koyo Maru No. 23 in Japan which became the Super Shuttle RORO 2 for AMTC after conversion. The ship measures 90.0m x 14.2m x 11.6m and she is powered by a single Hanshin engine of 3,200 horsepower which gave her a top speed of 14.5 knots when was still new.
Super Shuttle RORO 2 by Raymond Lapus of PSSS.
However, even with an equal design speed it was said she was faster than the Super Shuttle RORO 1 in the same route to Dumaguit port in Aklan. Well, this ship was built later in 1987 by Imamura Shipbuilding in Japan and that could be a difference. Super Shuttle RORO 2 still sails in the same route but sometimes she takes long breaks.
The last ship in the series is the biggest of the three at 128.8m x 19.9m x 6.6m which is already not small for a liner but she was not developed well and her Tourist section was not even finished. This ship was the Vehicle Carrier Atsuta Maru in Japan that was built by Kanda Shipbuilding and she was named as the Super Shuttle RORO 3 in AMTC. Her route is Batangas-Masbate-Mandaue-Cagayan de Oro and with unfavorable arrivals and departures she never became popular with the passengers especially when her departure times became hard to divine as the company gave priority to cargo. However, her cargo load is always good.
Super Shuttle RORO 3 by Aris Refugio of PSSS.
Recently, she no longer takes in passengers. Before she was a cheap, direct ride to Batangas but the passengers have to bear hardships. I was lucky I was able to ride her when she was still taking passengers. There were times too when she became unreliable and can't sail for extended periods of time. She has a single 8,000 horsepower Hitachi engine which powers her to 18 knots when still new. Her unreliability seems to stem from maintenance problems.
Roble Shipping Inc. also tried this type of conversion when they acquired the Vehicle Carrier Taelim Iris from South Korea in 2015. They did not immediately do work on the ship and when work commenced it was just done in their wharf in Pier 7 in Mandaue, Cebu. A lot of metal was added but after the work was finished a beautiful Oroquieta Stars emerged which became their pride. Originally meant for Misamis Occidental, she became a regular to Baybay, Leyte where she is a favorite.
Oroquieta Stars by James Gabriel Verallo of PSSS.
The Oroquieta Stars measures 77.4m x 12.0m x 8.1m and she is equipped with two Akasaka engines with a total of 4,900 horsepower. Her design speed is 16 knots and that is more than enough for a Leyte overnight ship. She was built by Sanyo Shipbuilding in Japan in 1994.
Another company which tried this conversion route was the Aleson Shipping Lines of Zamboanga. They acquired the Ariake Maru No.18 in 2016, a Vehicle Carrier in Japan built by Honda Shipbuilding. This ship has high sides and to have passenger viewing areas and access, metal has to sloughed off. In the Aleson fleet, this ship became known as the Antonia 1 and named after the matriarch of the company.
Antonia 1 by Albritz Salih of PSSS.
The Antonia 1 measures 103.6m x 15.5m x 11.5m and she is powered a single Akasaka-Mitsubishi engine of 4,000 horsepower. Her design speed is 15 knots. Presently, the ship's route is Zamboanga-Sandakan, our only international passenger ship route.
The last company which tried this route of conversion is the Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. (TASLI). They acquired the Warrior Spirit in 2016 and even earlier than the Antonia 1. While the Antonia 1 sailed in 2017, the Warrior Spirit which was renamed into the third Trans-Asia still can't sail as a host of ailments that defied easy solutions bugged her especially in the engine department.
Trans-Asia by C/E John Nino Malinao Borgonia of PSSS
The ship was built by Nouvelle Havre in France in 1980. Trans-Asia, the third, measures 126.2m x 21.0m and her design speed is 19 knots. With high sides and being tall, this ship is the biggest-ever of Trans-Asia Shipping Lines. And I hope that finally they will be able to solve her problems.
I am not too sure if my list is complete. But I would want to see in the future what other ships of this type will be converted into ROPAX in our country again.
Posted in Cargo RORO, Information, ROROTagged Aleson Shipping Lines, Antonia 1, Ariake Maru No. 18, Asaka Maru No., Asakaze, Asian Marine Transport Corporation (AMTC), Atsuta Maru, "Don Carlos", "Great Merger", basic, short-distance ferry-RORO, Basic, short-distance ferry-ROROs, Butuan Bay 1, Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. (CAGLI), Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), Cebu Ferry 2, Cebu Ferry 3, Cebu Star (a.k.a. Cebu Queen), Cebu Trader, Daiten Maru, Esan, first ROPAX, Gothong Lines, Hanshin engine, Hedemora engines, Iwagi Zosen, K&T Shipping Lines, Kalibo Star, Kalibo Star (a.k.a. Ocean Star, Koyo Maru, Koyo Maru No. 23, Leyte Star (a.k.a. Leyte Queen), Looc Bay, Maypalad Shipping Lines, MV Our Lady of Guadalupe, MV Our Lady of Medjugorje, MV Our Lady of Sacred Heart, MV Sto. Nino de Cebu, Nippatsu (Fuji) engine, Oroquieta Stars, RORO-Passenger ships, Samar Queen, Samar Star, Shinka Maru, Shinsei Maru, short-distance ferry-ROROs, Super Shuttle RORO 1, Super Shuttle RORO 2, Super Shuttle RORO 3, SuperFerry 3, Taelim Iris, third Trans-Asia, Trans-Asia 5, Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. (TASLI), Trosvik Verskted, Warrior SpiritLeave a comment
The Miyuki Maru
Posted on February 28, 2019 February 28, 2019 by psssadmin
The Miyuki Maru which is in the Philippines now is one ferry that is lucky to have a long life although she had many owners already. And recently she was given another lease of life although she is already pushing to fifty years in age and of sailing. At the moment, however, I will leave the reader in suspense what this familiar ship is. What I can say however is she was always wanted all of her years and not all ferries were that lucky.
"Miyuki" is a common feminine given Japanese name and many Japanese women carry that as their first name. Translated, in many cases she is associated with the word "beautiful" and maybe that is the reason why she had been lucky all these years. "Maru", of course, always referred to a ship but actually that is not the exact translation. So loosely, "Miyuki Maru" can be regarded as a "beautiful ship". Not that most will agree with that description but as they say, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
The Miyuki Maru is a ferry built in 1970 by the Kanda Zosensho in Kure, Japan for the Sado Kisen K.K. as a ferry of the Sado Island (Sadogashima) which lies in the Sea of Japan just off the Niigata prefecture and the island is alsoa part of that prefecture. With that connection, I am not surprised the Miyuki Maru is powered by Niigata engines, the manufacturer of which is based in the namesake prefecture. (Now, that engine make served her well).
The Miyuki Maru which has the permanent ID IMO 7044225 is a ROPAX (RORO-Passenger ship) which has RORO (Roll-on, Roll-off) ramps at the bow and stern with a single cargo deck, a steel hull, a raked stem and a transom stern. She has a Length Over-all (LOA) of 62.0 meters, a Length Between Perpendiculars (LPP) of 55.5 meters and a Beam of 13.4 meters. Her Gross Register Tonnage (GRT) in Japan was 797 tons, a Net Register Tonnage (NRT) of just 151 tons (which means that originally her passenger accommodation was small), and a Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) of 411 tons. The total output of her twin engines is 3,600 horsepower which gave her a top sustained speed of 14 knots when new. The ferry had a single passenger deck, two masts and two funnels.
In 1987, this ferry was sold to Awashima Kisen K.K. and she became an Awashima Island ferry. Though with a change of ownership her name was not changed (because maybe there was no need to change a beautiful name). That was until 1992 when she was sold to the Philippines at 22 years of age. At that time, Japan shipping companies try to sell their ship after 20 years as there are incentives by the Japan government for re-fleeting their old ships. But that practice was misrepresented by some in the Philippines as if the ship is already "old" or worse just good enough for the scrapyard (which isn't true) and worst is the charge by those who are ignorant of ships that they are simply "floating coffins" (because then at 20 years of age their cars are already dilapidated but they don't understand that cars and ships are not exactly comparable as ships are much more durable than cars).
In the Philippines, the ferry Miyuki Maru went to Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. (TASLI) of Cebu which in the late 1980's and early 1990's was already busy in converting from cruiser ships to RORO ships (more exactly ROPAX ships), one the first Philippine companies to do full conversion of their fleet (while the national liner companies like Sulpicio Lines, William Lines, Negros Navigation and Aboitiz Shipping can't make that claim then as they were still clinging to their cruiser liners). Yes, that was how great and modern that company was then compared to the recent years when their glory was already faded. Yes, they were that advanced before the emergence of the Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC) from the "Great Merger" of William Lines, Gothong Lines and Aboitiz Shipping. That merger inflicted them a very serious blow as from the biggest overnight ferry company in Cebu, a new entity bigger than them suddenly emerged. In Trans-Asia Shipping Lines, the Miyuki Maru became known as the Asia Singapore, the second ship in the fleet to carry that name (the first was a cruiser ship).
The Asia Singapore. From TM Brochures.
As the Asia Singapore, an additional half-deck was added as passenger accommodation and together with an extension of her original passenger deck these served as the open-air Economy accommodations of the refitted ship. Air-conditioned Tourist and Cabin accommodations were also added and being equipped with bunks she became a full-pledged overnight ferry. Her new Gross Tonnage (GT) became 830 tons with a Net Tonnage (NT) of 251 tons (a figure that is suspiciously low) and a passenger capacity of 533 persons. In the fleet of Trans-Asia Shipping Lines she was the sixth ROPAX ship after the Asia Hongkong, Asia Japan, Asia Thailand, Asia Taiwan and Asia Brunei. Locally, the ferry has a Call Sign of DUHE7. Of course, the IMO Number is unchanged.
In 2001, the Asia Singapore was sold to Palacio Shipping Lines (which was otherwise known as FJP Lines) that was then already acquiring ROPAX ships. She then was renamed into the Don Martin Sr. 9, the third ROPAX ship in the Palacio fleet. Later on, she was further renamed into the Calbayog in honor of the port and city that was the origin of Palacio Lines (she was however not the biggest ferry in the fleet as the honor belonged to the Don Martin Sr. 8, a sister ship of the Zamboanga Ferry of the George and Peter Lines).
The Calbayog. Photo by Janjan Salas.
When Palacio Lines felt the pressure of new competition allowed into Samar from Cebu, their old strong route, that triggered her terminal decline which started from the loss of their Bantayan route from Cebu Port. This was exacerbated by the situation then that their old, small cruisers no longer had viable routes especially with the advent of the ROPAXes of the competition. When the company's last remaining stronghold, the Plaridel route was also opened to competition, it signaled that the end of the company was already near. In size, quality and cleanliness of the ferries, Palacio Lines was no match to the new competition.
In 2012, Palacio Lines stopped sailing although they were still advertising their old schedules and routes in the local papers of Cebu. They even went to the extent of denying that to media although it was plainly visible that their ships were always moored in Cebu port and without lights at night. In a short time, however, the truth can no longer be hidden when the company started disposing her remaining ships and those disappeared one by one from the Port of Cebu. The cruelest was when their biggest ship, the Don Martin Sr. 8 went to a Cebu breaker after there were no takers at her. Maybe Palacio Lines needed money then to settle some things.
The Calbayog in Batangas Bay waiting to be converted into Starlite Neptune. Photo by Mark Anthony Arceno.
There was a shipping company in Batangas that had a track record of acquiring old ferries that were already being disposed especially those that were no longer sailing including from defunct shipping companies. This was the Starlite Ferries of Alfonso Cusi then which started from old, unreliable ferries being disposed by William, Gothong and Aboitiz (WG&A). Those were followed by a small ROPAX from one of the Atienzas of Mindoro shipping that was going out of business (a victim of the change-over from wooden motor boats or batels to ROROs), then a fastcraft from the defunct DR Shipping of Don Domingo Reyes and two ferries from the Shipsafe/Safeship duo of shipping companies that was also going out of business, among other acquisitions. So it was not a surprise to me when they grabbed the Calbayog which then became the Starlite Neptune in their fleet. From the point of view of Miyuki Maru that was a saving move as it proved to be her salvation. And not only that. She also went to a shipping company that knows how to refurbish and maintain old ships although her owner later developed a taste of bullying in the media old ferries when he was able to acquire a loan package from the government to build new ferries (now Starlite Ferries is already disposing of their old ferries).
The Miyuki Maru as Starlite Neptune. Photo by Nowell Alcancia.
The Starlite Neptune or Miyuki Maru was also a success in Starlite Ferries although soon her owner faced a problem when their new ferries started arriving from Japan and they were not able to develop new routes. So it was obvious they would have to dispose old ferries especially if her owner would have to be honorable enough in backing up with action his attacks against old ferries. Shockingly, it was not the old ferries that were disposed by Alfonso Cusi but his whole company when he sold lock, stock and barrel to the new king of Philippine shipping who is Dennis Uy that was buying shipping companies left and right. After the takeover, it is notable that the first ship sold by Starlite Ferries was Starlite Neptune. This ferry has been observed for months already darkened and just anchored in Batangas Bay not sailing and with no flags flying.
The Starlite Neptune in Batangas Bay with no flags flying. Photo by Mike Baylon.
Then soon came the news that Starlite Neptune was docked in Lazi port in Siquijor being refitted after it turned out she was acquired by the GL Shipping of Siquijor which was lately in the acquisition and expansion mood. It is rumored she will be doing the Siquijor and Iligan route from Cebu, a route long wished by Siquijodnons and the people in Iligan City in general. It is seen as the revival of the old route then held by the small cruiser Pulauan Ferry of George & Peter Lines which unfortunately grounded and sank just south of Mactan island and was never replaced.
As of the time of the writing of this article the new name of Miyuki Maru is not yet known and her refitting works in Lazi port stopped. I do not know if there is a big problem although I might also think she might be too big a ship for her company which only used to operate small crafts before.
The former Starlite Neptune in Lazi under GL Shipping. Photo by Roy Baguia Dumam-ag.
I just wish that will she will continue to live on as I am a sentimental person and I don't want old ships that are still good to go to the breakers because it turned out that nobody no longer wanted her. And so I just hope the Miyuki Maru will live a little longer and that she provides joy to her new owners and to public that will sail with her.
Long live the Miyuki Maru!
[Now, if she doesn't survive then let this piece be an ode to her.]
Posted in Information, overnight ferry, Ship Feature, UncategorizedTagged Alfonso Cusi, Asia Singapore, Awashima Kisen K.K., Bantayan route, Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), cruiser ship, DUHE7, FJP Lines, GL Shipping, IMO 7044225, Kanda Zosensho, Lazi port, Niigata engines, Palacio Shipping Lines, Plaridel route, ropax, RORO, Sado Kisen K.K., Starlite Ferries, Starlite Neptune, Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. (TASLI)Leave a comment
Roble Shipping Is Finally Sailing To Mindanao
Posted on October 12, 2017 October 16, 2017 by psssadmin
Last month, September of 2017, Roble Shipping has finally sailed to Oroquieta, the capital of the small Mindanao province of Misamis Occidental (which actually hosts a lot of ports and among them are Ozamis and Plaridel ports). It is maybe the first port of call in Mindanao ever for Roble Shipping and it is actually a long-delayed move already for Roble Shipping as their namesake-to-the-city Oroquieta Stars has long been in the news that she will sail for that city and port since late last year (but since then although the ship is already ready she was just sailing for Hilongos in Leyte).
Source: Oroquieta City LGU FB account
I have been observing Roble Shipping for long already and watched its consistent growth both in passenger shipping and cargo and even in cargo RORO LCTs in the recent years. But I am puzzled with their moves or more accurately their lack of moves in developing new passenger routes that their cousin shipping company and Johnny-come-lately Medallion Transport which with their courageous moves in developing new routes seems to have already overtaken them in passenger shipping (it even reached Mindanao ahead of them when Medallion's Lady of Good Voyage plied a route to Dipolog).
Roble Shipping is actually one shipping company that has more ferries than routes, the exact opposite of another shipping company I am also observing which is Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. (TASLI) which in their tepidness in acquiring replacement ferries has more routes than ferries now. Does that mean the two shipping companies needed a merger? Just a naughty thought but that is actually impossible now as Trans-Asia Shipping Lines took the easy way out of their troubles which is selling themselves to the Udenna group of new shipping king Dennis Uy which is flush in money nowadays and might not need any help.
I remember that before Roble Shipping has an approved franchise to Nasipit but they never got about serving that route from Cebu. To think they had the big and good Heaven Stars then, a former cruiseferry in Japan then which should have been perfect for that route. However, that beautiful ship soon caught unreliability in her Pielstick engines and I thought maybe that was the reason why Roble Shipping was not sailing the Nasipit route (which actually had the tough Cebu Ferries and Sulpicio Lines serving it then and might really be the reason why Roble Shipping was hesitant).
But then calamitous fate befell Sulpicio Lines when they got themselves suspended after the horrific capsizing of their flagship Princess of the Storm, sorry, I mean the Princess of the Stars in a Signal No. 3 typhoon in Romblon. In the aftermath of that Sulpicio Lines sold for cheap their Cebu Princess and Cagayan Princess to Roble Shipping in order to generate some immediate cash and anyway the two ships were suspended from sailing and were of no use to them.
With the acquisition of the two, suddenly Roble Shipping had some serious overnight ships after the Heaven Stars which was then not already capable of sailing regularly especially when the good Wonderful Stars already arrived for them to compete in the Ormoc route. And one of the two was even a former pocket liner, the Cebu Princess. One of the two is actually a veteran of the Nasipit route, the Cagayan Princess which was fielded there when Sulpicio Lines already had a better ship for the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route (the ship was named after that city actually as it was the original route of that ship) and their Naval, Biliran route bombed.
But no, the two ships just collected barnacles in the Pier 7 wharf of Roble Shipping, not sailing. I thought maybe there were still ghosts prowling the ships as they were used in the retrieval efforts on the capsized Princess of the Stars. Or maybe they wanted people to forget first as denying the two ferries came from Sulpicio Lines is difficult anyway.
The Cebu Princess and Cagayan Princess finally sailed as the Joyful Stars and the Theresian Stars but not to Nasipit but to Leyte (again!). I thought maybe Roble Shipping got cold feet in exploring Mindanao. And to think the service of the once-powerful and proud Cebu Ferries was already tottering then and everybody knows Gothong Southern Shipping Lines won't last long in the Nasipit route with their Dona Rita Sr. (they eventually quit and sold their passenger ships).
With a surplus of ferries in their only routes which are all to Leyte (Hilongos and Ormoc), eventually their legendary cruiser Ormoc Star rotted in Pier 7. Soon, Roble Shipping got a reputation of laying up a lot of ships in Pier 7 (this is very evident when one takes a ride aboard the Metro Ferry ships to Muelle Osmena in Mactan island). They are all huddled up there including the cargo ships. Maybe as protection for the cold so they won't catch flu (rust, that cannot be evaded).
Taelim Iris, the future Oroquieta Stars
Two sisters ships also joined the fleet of Roble Shipping, the former Nikel Princely of Aleson Shipping Lines of Zamboanga and the former Filipinas Surigao of Cokaliong Shipping Lines. The two became the Blessed Stars and Sacred Stars in the fleet of Roble Shipping, respectively. However, although one route was added, the Baybay route of the former Filipinas Surigao (which is again in Leyte) there was no other route except for the route they opened in Catbalogan in the aftermath of the demise of Palacio Lines, the Samar native shipping line. With their small ferries Roble Shipping also tried a route to Naval, Biliran which was formerly part of Leyte. I thought maybe Roble Shipping really loves Eastern Visayas too much that they simply can't get away from it.
Two more ferries came, the former vehicle carriers TKB Emerald and Taelim Iris which slowly became the Graceful Stars and Oroquieta Stars, respectively (but then the Wonderful Stars was no longer wonderful as she was already out of commission after a fire in Ormoc port). Still the two just sailed to Leyte. And eventually, Roble Shipping quit Catbalogan which is a marginal destination to begin with because of the intermodal competition (trucks are loaded to western Leyte ports and just roll to Samar destinations and passengers also use that route). Roble then transferred the two sister ships Blessed Stars and Sacred Stars to become the Asian Stars I and Asian Stars II of the Theresian Stars, the new shipping company which was their joint venture with a former Governor of Sulu province. The two should have been alternating the the overnight Zamboanga to Jolo ferry route. But nothing came out of the venture and soon the two were back in Cebu. Technically, that was the first venture of Roble Shipping to Mindanao but not under the flag of Roble Shipping.
Oroquieta Stars just sailing to Hilongos, Leyte
I thought Roble Shipping was really allergic to Mindanao but soon I was disabused of this thought when the news came out that definitely Oroquieta Stars will sail to Oroquieta City after supposedly some requirements were ironed out. That is good as some things will then be tested. Oroquieta is actually too near the Plaridel port which competitor (in Leyte) Lite Ferries is serving and which the defunct Palacio Lines was serving before. Roble Shipping and Lite Ferries will practically be sharing the same market and I do not know if enough cargo and passengers will be weaned away from Dapitan and Ozamis ports but then Dapitan port is nearer to Cebu with cheaper fares and rates.
Oroquieta Stars is fast among the overnight ferries having relatively big engines and has a design speed of 16 knots. I just thought that if it is worthwhile for Cokaliong Shipping Lines to extend their Ozamis route to Iligan, won't it be profitable for Roble Shipping to extend their Oroquieta route to Tubod in Lanao del Norte or to Iligan perhaps? Tubod can be one of the origins of the Muslim-owned commuter vans which have a route to Cotabato City via Sultan Naga Dipamoro or Karomatan (these vans go up to Kapatagan in Lanao del Norte).
We will have to see if Roble shipping can stick with the Oroquieta route as their competitor Lite Ferries take all challengers very seriously. Funny, but Roble shipping was much ahead of them in the Leyte routes. However, Lite Ferries is very aggressive and is easily the most aggressive shipping company in this decade taking away that mantle from Montenegro Shipping Lines (but then they might just have the same patron saint anyway but the favors and flavors might have changed).
Oroquieta Port by Hans Jason Abao. Might be improved by now.
I wish Roble Shipping all the luck in their Mindanao foray and how I wish they will explore more routes because after all the availability of ferries is the least of their concerns (sabi nga sa bus krudo lang ang kailangan para tumakbo). That could also be their case. Plus franchise and some explorations maybe (well, if Medallion was able to use their cargo ships for that so they can too as they also have a lot of freighters now).
Sayang naman kasi ng mga barko nila.
Posted in Analysis, Company Feature, Information, News, ports, Routes, Shipping competitionTagged a route to Cotabato City via Sultan Naga Dipamoro, Aleson Shipping Lines, Asian Stars I, Asian Stars II, "Misamis Occidental", Baybay route, Biliran, Biliran route, Blessed Stars, Cagayan Princess, Cargo RORO LCTs, Catbalogan, Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), Cebu Princess, Cokaliong Shipping Lines, cruiseferry, design speed, Dona Rita Sr., eastern visayas, Filipinas Surigao, Gothong Southern Shipping Lines, Graceful Stars, Heaven Stars, Hilongos and Ormoc, Hilongos in Leyte, intermodal competition, Joyful Stars, Kapatagan in Lanao del Norte, Lady of Love, Lite Ferries, Medallion Transport, Metro Ferry, Montenegro Shipping Lines, Muslim-owned commuter vans, nasipit, Naval, new shipping king Dennis Uy, Nikel Princely, Ormoc Star, Oroquieta Stars, Overnight Ferries, Ozamis and Plaridel ports, Palacio Lines, Pier 7 wharf, pocket liner, princess of the stars, Princess of the Storm, Sacred Stars, Sulpicio Lines, Taelim Iris, Theresian Stars, Theresian Stars shipping company, TKB Emerald, Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. (TASLI), Tubod in Lanao del Norte, Udenna group, Vehicle Carriers, Wonderful Stars, Zamboanga to Jolo ferry routeLeave a comment
The Unique Nasipit Port and Bay
Posted on October 9, 2017 by psssadmin
Nasipit is the main port of Agusan after the Butuan ports (Butuan and Lumbocon) lost that status because the ships no longer came. That was because of the siltation of Agusan River and the general increase in the size and depths of the ships. Nasipit port is unique in topographic sense. It is located in a nearly enclosed bay which looks like a pond. Two enclosing spits of land nearly closes the outlet of the bay. As such Nasipit port is probably the most protected port in the Philippines. But it is deep enough that 160-meter ferries used to dock before in Nasipit. Those were great liners Princess of Paradise of Sulpicio Lines Inc. and the Our Lady of Akita of Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. which later became the SuperFerry 6 of WG&A.
Photo by Janjan Salas
The very small Nasipit Bay was once the home of the famed Nasipit Lumber Inc. which used to produce veneer, plywood and other types of processed wood products. The plant of the company was once the original user of that bay and the bay also served as the stocking pond of their logs and their wharf inside the bay was where the cargo ships loading their products once docked. Nasipit port was built adjacent to Nasipit Lumber with the latter nearer the entrance of the bay. Nasipit Lumber has closed long ago when logs and lumber became scarce and new rules protecting the ancestral domain were drawn. Now that plant is even gone now including the buildings. What remained are some the concrete floors and just parts of their old wharf.
The former location of Nasipit Lumber
Now the permanent resident of the bay is the power barge of Therma Marine Inc., an Aboitiz Power Corporation subsidiary and this is located in the inner part of the nearly-enclosed bay. Also in Nasipit Bay, inside the port is the Port Maritime Office (PMO) of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) which is in charge of all the ports in the Caraga Region. The manager of it and the employees wants it transferred to Butuan, however, because it is there that where most of them live. I don't know if that will push through. Nasipit Bay is also home to swirling rains I have not observed anywhere else and maybe that is due to the peculiar topography of the Nasipit inlet which are surrounded by high hills in a particular way.
The power barge of Therma South
Nasipit port is a straight quay where the middle it was broken by a slanted RORO ramp which is just a recent alteration. In the inner end smaller ships like tugs and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol boats are docked. There is a transit shed for cargo and a passenger waiting area in the port terminal building. Docking for big ships is a precise maneuver inside the Nasipit inlet as the bay is very small and there are shallow portions and it is especially dangerous when it is low tide. However, there are not s to contend unlike in the exposed ports.
Nasipit port has been the port of passenger ships for a long time now not because it is convenient or near the city (it is actually out of the way and relatively far from the town and highway). The change happened in the 1970's when the ports of Butuan became shallower because of siltation and there was lack of dredging (the results of which are often just undone by raging annual floods of the great Agusan River). By the 1980's, Nasipit port has already supplanted the Butuan ports especially since the shallow-draft ex-"FS" ships were already dying from old age and the replacements of that type were already bigger. However, even though the ports have changed many passenger shipping companies still used the name "Butuan Port" when actually they were already docking and using Nasipit port and this entailed confusion to the uninitiated including land-bound researchers doing shipping studies.
There were passenger vessels which did both the Butuan and Nasipit ports. They just gave up on Butuan port when docking there became much dependent on high tide (and risk waiting until noon at times when this would already jeopardize departure time because loading and unloading using booms and porters is slow). One example of this were the former "FS" ships of the Bisaya Land Transport Company of the Cuencos of Cebu (no typo there, that is the actual name of a shipping company which is a division of their land transport). When they find it impossible to dock in Butuan, they then proceed to Nasipit port (to the complain of many passengers).
The MV Samar of Compania Maritima (Credits to Philippine Herald and Gorio Belen)
Compania Maritima, the leading shipping company after the Pacific War was one of the earliest to use Nasipit port. Their passenger-cargo ship Samar which is the bigger type of US war-surplus ship used to dock in Nasipit port. That was also true for their passenger-cargo ship Mactan which was in the 80-meter class and whose depth is two meters over the depth of an ex-"FS" ship, the last type of passenger ship that can be shoehorned in the shallow Butuan ports. Their Mindoro and Romblon, both converted ex-"FS" ship docked at both Butuan and Nasipit ports (and maybe that is to increase the passengers and cargo). Their Panay, a bigger ship docked at Nasipit when it can't in Butuan. Later, even their ex-"FS" ship Leyte was calling exclusively in Nasipit port. Compania Maritima was the first to dominate Nasipit port when the Chinoy shipping companies were just on their way up and not calling on Nasipit port. In the main they came to Nasipit port when Compania Maritima was already gone.
The MV Panay of Compania Maritima (Credits to Philippine Herald and Gorio Belen)
Some actually just gave up on the Agusan trade when their ships can no longer dock in Butuan and they did not really try to earnestly use Nasipit port like Escano Lines which used to be strong in Butuan. Well, it must have been frustrating for them when the ship can't dock after a few hours of waiting and then would have to go to Nasipit port anyway to load and unload. Moreover, the floods of Agusan River that happen many months of the year with its floating logs and other debris which can damage the ship propellers and rudders also added to the vagaries in docking in Butuan.
By the 1980's the passenger ship calls on Nasipit, Butuan and Surigao which are all connected ports went down considerably. There was a big, general downturn in the economy because of economic crisis and container ships began supplanting the passenger-cargo ships in carrying cargo (where before this type carried a lot of the express cargo that are not in bulk or liquid). These new container ships cannot fit in the Butuan ports. However, few of them are coming in Butuan anyway. Another thing, the cargo ace of Nasipit before which were the forest products began slumping as the forest cover was fast going down and it raised a howl and therefore restrictions on logging were placed by the new Aquino administration.
The pocket liner Surigao Princess (Photo by Edison Sy)
At the tail end of the Compania Maritima dominance a new liner was calling in Nasipit, the Surigao Princess of Sulpicio Lines which was a pocket liner. In the post-martial law period the Our Lady of Guadalupe of Carlos A. Gothong Lines, Inc. (CAGLI) came. And so these two liners succeeded Compania Maritima were gone as the company went out of business at the height of the political and economic crisis of the mid-1980's. Soon, the better Our Lady of Lourdes of CAGLI replaced the Our Lady of Guadalupe in that route. In 1988, the big Nasipit Princess of Sulpicio Lines began calling in Nasipit port. But her route was mainly Cebu only as it was still Surigao Princess that was the liner there of Sulpicio Lines Inc. And, the Dona Lili of Gothong was also sailing from Nasipit to Cebu.
The Nasipit Princess by Suro Yan
William Lines, Lorenzo Shipping Corporation and Negros Navigation Company, among the great survivors of the crisis of the 1980's did not have Nasipit among their ports of call when the 1990's started. Escano Lines will soon be leaving passenger shipping as well as Bisaya Land Transport. Aboitiz Shipping Corporation is also much-weakened in passenger shipping then as they did not buy liners for 15 long years (however, the will be back with a flash with their SuperFerry series and the were strong in container shipping)
It was Carlos A. Gothong Lines and Sulpicio Lines which were competing in Nasipit port in the 1990's both in the liner route to Manila and the overnight route to Cebu. Although Nasipit was no longer as grand a destination like when Butuan still had a lot of ships calling, the two companies brought some great liners in Nasipit port like the Our Lady of Akita and the Princess of Paradise and what a show of confidence it was for Nasipit port. That was the heyday of competition when there was much optimism in business and the shipping liberalization and modernization policies of the administration of Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) took effect. A little before the "Great Merger" William Lines will also enter Nasipit port with their liner Mabuhay 2.
The Our Lady of Akita (Credits to Manila Chronicle and Gorio Belen)
When the Great Merger that produced the giant shipping company WG&A came there was a plethora of ever-changing ships that got assigned to Nasipit port unlike in the past when a ferry will hold a route for a decade or even longer. In WG&A, routes and route assignments happen at least once a year and so tracking of ships that served a port became difficult. However, Nasipit was a regular route of the company. That liberalization of FVR also brought the expanding Negros Navigation Company (NENACO) to Nasipit where they used their beautiful St. Francis of Assisi. Unfortunately, that liner burned right in Nasipit quay not long after in 1999 which resulted in the destruction of the ship. The revived Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. (CAGLI) also tried the Manila to Nasipit liner route before it just became a Cargo RORO route when they got suspended from passenger shipping. Nasipit still has lots of load, no longer forest products but bananas.
The Our Lady of Lourdes by Chief Ray Smith
With the "Great Merger" and the creation of Visayas-Mindanao subsidiary Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), that company also paraded a succession of ships in Nasipit port that is bound to Cebu on an overnight route. It began from the old Our Lady of Lourdes and it ended with Cebu Ferry 2 when CFC was already under the Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), the successor company of WG&A. Sulpicio Lines, their only competitor in the overnight route brought the Cagayan Princess in Nasipit when the Nasipit Princess can no longer sail. This was later followed by the much-better Princess of the Earth. And for a while, the Gothong Southern Shipping Lines Inc. (GSSLI) brought their Dona Rita Sr. to Nasipit port after they acquired the Our Lady of Good Voyage of Cebu Ferries.
Filipinas Butuan in Nasipit port
The port has also a link to Jagna port in Bohol as service to the Bol-anons residing in Mindanao. Usually the Cebu-Nasipit ship of a company will do a once a week call to Jagna on their seventh day and the ship will go back to Nasipit within that seventh day and then resume their route to Cebu.
This decade saw a great downturn for Nasipit in sailing ships. There was only one liner left doing a once a week voyage to Manila and this was usually the St. Leo The Great of 2GO. Sulpicio Lines quit passenger sailing and Gothong Southern also gave up that segment. Even Cebu Ferries quit the Nasipit overnight route to Cebu when they transferred their ships to Batangas.
The St. Leo The Great
Now, a completely new cast is in Nasipit port headed by Cokaliong Shipping Lines Inc. (CSLI) which use either their Filipinas Butuan or Filipinas Iligan in the Cebu to Nasipit overnight route with an off day diversion to Jagna. Lite Ferries also has a Nasipit to Jagna ship on the stronger months for sailing but there is no permanently assigned ship. 2GO still has that once a week liner from Manila. Nasipit is not a favorite of container ships except for Carlos A. Gothong Lines.
Passenger shipping which is down already ia affected by the intermodal buses and the budget airlines, both of which offer competitive fares compared to ships and with the advantage of daily departures. Nasipit is also not helped by it being out of the way from the city and the municipality's policy of barring the buses and commuter vans from the port doesn't help the case of Nasipit port either in attracting passengers who are turned off the expensive and very cramped tricycle ride which is also vulnerable from the rains driven by the swirling winds of Nasipit inlet.
The legendary white-out of Nasipit port
I wonder when and how Nasipit port will have a renaissance. Somehow, some day, I just hope that it will come.
Posted in Analysis, History, portsTagged 160-meter ferries, Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), Agusan, Agusan River, "Great Merger", Bisaya Land Transport Company, Butuan port, Butuan ports, Cagayan Princess, CAGLI, Cargo RORO route, Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. (CAGLI), Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), Cebu Ferry 2, Cebu to Nasipit overnight route, Chinoy shipping companies, Cokaliong Shipping Lines Inc. (CSLI), compania maritima, Dona Lili, Dona Rita Sr., ex-"FS" ships, Filipinas Butuan, Filipinas Iligan, forest products, Gothong Southern Shipping Lines Inc. (GSSLI), Jagna port, lack of dredging, Leyte, Lite Ferries, Lumbocon port, Mabuhay 2, mindoro, Nasipit Bay, Nasipit inlet, Nasipit Lumber Inc., Nasipit Princess, Nasipit to Jagna ship, Negros Navigation Company (Nenaco), our lady of akita, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Panay, passenger-cargo ship Mactan, passenger-cargo ship Samar, power barge of Therma Marine, princess of paradise, Princess of the Earth, Romblon, Samar, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Leo The Great, Sulpicio Lines inc., Surigao Princess, swirling rains, wga, william linesLeave a comment
When I Sailed With The Filipinas Maasin Again
Posted on September 26, 2017 September 26, 2017 by psssadmin
Recently, I sailed with the Filipinas Maasin of Cokaliong Shipping Lines Inc. (CSLI) from Masbate when I was going back to Cebu. The truth is I really sought to take her again as I wanted to compare and see what changed with her since I last rode her over a decade ago (and in a different route at that). I really made sure I will be able to take the ship and that even meant cutting my stay in Bicol to just an overnight.
The Filipinas Maasin, over time was offered for sale along with the other older Cokaliong ships but there were no takers and so they just continued sailing. But over the years Filipinas Maasin got more smokey and significantly slower. And so she was also laid up for long in Ouano yard undergoing refitting starting in 2015 and as we found out she had an engine change. This year, 2017, she was fully back in action for Cokaliong doing various routes.
Filipinas Maasin being refitted and having an engine change in Ouano. Photo by John Carlos Cabanillas.
This Filipinas Maasin is actually the third Filipinas Maasin as two previous ferries of that name preceded her in the fleet of Cokaliong. The first two were cruiser ships and this is the first Filipinas Maasin that is a RORO (Roll-on, Roll Off) vessel. When she was first fielded she was the biggest ship of Cokaliong then together with her sister ship Filipinas Iloilo and practically the flagship of the Cokaliong fleet. She was then doing the Maasin and Surigao routes which first established Cokaliong Shipping Lines.
The third Filipinas Maasin is a ship built in 1980 as the Utaka Maru, a Japan ferry. She was built by Sanuki Shipbuilding and Iron Works in their Takuma yard. Her external dimensions then were 75.9 meters by 12.5 meters. Her original Gross Register Tonnage (GRT) was 999 tons and her Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) was 250 tons. She was powered by two Daihatsu marine engines of a combined 3,200 horsepower which gave her a top sustained speed of 13 knots when she was still new (this is the design speed).
In 1992, the Utaka Maru went to China to become the Zhong Hai No. 3. But in the same year she was sold to South Korea to become the Car Ferry Cheju No. 3 serving Cheju or Jeju island, a favorite South Korean resort destination. It was from South Korea where Cokaliong Shipping Lines acquired her in the year 2000. This was after their second Filipinas Maasin was sold to Roble Shipping Inc. and was converted into the Leyte Diamond which became a well-known ship in Hilongos, Leyte.
Filipinas Maasin on her bad day before the engine change. Photo by John Carlos Cabanillas.
The third Filipinas Maasin firmed up the hold of Cokaliong Shipping Lines in Maasin and Surigao, a route which was not competed well by the then regional giant Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), the regional subsidiary of the merged company William, Gothong and Aboitiz (WG & A) that was basically using the not-so-reliable Our Lady of Guadalupe in the route which was already a graying ship already then. And that was a puzzle to me up to. Did the supporter of CSLI, President Fidel V. Ramos told WG & A to take it easy on Cokaliong? Dumaguete and Dapitan was another route not well-competed by Cebu Ferries and it also gave the chance for Cokaliong to grow when Trans-Asia Shipping Lines was suffering terribly from the onslaught of Cebu Ferries.
It was there in her primary route when I first rode Filipinas Maasin taking advantage of her cheap fare from Surigao to Maasin when I was on the way to Bicol (I declined the lousy Liloan-Lipata ferry, a Maharlika ship so I can ride her). The Filipinas Maasin was a much, much better ship than the Maharlika ship of Archipelago Philippine Ferries but my good ride turned out to be a mistake as arriving midnight in Maasin there was no bus yet to Manila and I just waited in a street corner fending off mosquitoes as I was advised the terminal was dark and empty at that unholy hour (and by the tricycle drivers' implication unsafe — I believed the tricycle driver for who would turn down a paid ride?). For the Filipinas Maasin trip I did not stay in the Economy accommodation which my ticket indicated but just whiled my time in the restaurant cum lounge which is air-conditioned. Well, until now two Economy tickets from Surigao-Maasin and Maasin-Cebu is cheaper than taking one ticket straight from Surigao to Cebu but they usually won't sell the Maasin-Cebu ticket in Surigao. I asked why but I did not get any clear answer except that I can sense it is a subsidized ride for Leytenos and they do not want to be taken for the ride (pun intended). I do not know if that cheap fare is also meant to compete with the Liloan-Lipata ferries (well at P325 the Maasin ticket is just P25 over the ferry to Liloan and a bus further on will cost much more).
When the ferry became a Philippine ship there was a change in the external dimensions of the ferry. She is now 81.3 meters by 14.8 meters. In my years of studying the specifications of Philippine ship this is one very rare instance when a ship grew in dimensions! Her Gross Tonnage (GT) is now 2,661 from a Gross Register Tonnage of 999 (now that is honest) and her Net Tonnage (NT) is now 1,684. I have observed that some ships that passed through China had their dimensions and tonnages bloat and maybe that is also the case for the Filipinas Maasin and Cokaliong no longer tried to "downsize" her here.
The Filipinas Maasin arriving in Masbate after a 15-hour voyage from Cebu
The General Arrangement Plan (GAP) of Filipinas Maasin is very simple. There are only two passenger decks and the top deck which is on the same level of the bridge is an all-Economy deck with double bunks with mattresses. The lower passenger deck is Economy at the stern and Tourist section and Cabins/Suites at the bow. The latter is ahead of the Tourist section. In the lower deck the restaurant cum lounge divides the higher accommodations from the Economy section. It is a neat arrangement as the higher and lower accommodations both have a direct access to the restaurant. There is a small cubicle that serves as a karaoke room in the restaurant-lounge and together that is a row of video game consoles, both of which seem archaic now (in my ride nobody used the two).
The restaurant serves hot meals with rice and a limited choice of viand plus there is the usual instant noodles, some sandwiches, bread, biscuits, knick-knacks (locally known as chicheria) and a good selection of hot and cold drinks. Not that grand but maybe enough for one not to get hungry. In overnight ships it seems there is no provision for breakfast if a ship's arrival is beyond 7am unlike in liners from Manila. So a late arrival is sure business for the ship's restaurant and I wonder if they do it on purpose.
The Filipinas Maasin is a very clean ship like the other ferries in the Cokaliong fleet. There is no dust or grime and even the floor is very clean that one can almost lie in it. One thing I noticed that changed in Filipinas Maasin is the flooring. The material now is like what they use in buses and it does not need painting. But like in all Cokaliong ships the lower bunks is almost near the floor and for oldies like me I need to use my hand to raise myself up. The plus side is the upper bunk does not seem to be too high.
Another notable change I noticed in the third Filipinas Maasin is the availability now of individual lights and a charging outlet per bunk in the Tourist section (sorry I was not able to check the Economy section as I was already tired with an all-day ship spotting in Masbate). With that the charging of devices is easy which is important nowadays. So I really wonder about the greed of 2GO that charges five pesos per ten minutes of charging time when Cokaliong can give the electricity for charging free. I never noticed any paid charging outlet in Filipinas Maasin.
Filipinas Maasin Tourist with its big airconditioners
The Tourist section of the ship which was my accommodation was overly cold when they set four big packaged-type air-conditioners at 16 degrees Celsius when the Tourist section is not that big and just half-full. I tinkered with the air-conditioners because otherwise we will all suffer the entire night. They should have set the air-conditioners at full blast only during boarding time. There is no need to chill the passengers when they are already sleeping because their linen and blanket are not enough for that level of coldness. Some of my co-passengers already know that but who said one can't tinker with the air-conditioners? I always do that when it is too cold for me.
My second ride with the third Filipinas Maasin was okay except that I miss the old cheaper Trans-Asia Shipping Lines fare from Masbate and the ship is slow for the Masbate-Cebu route especially since her departure time is 7pm (I should have taken her arrival of 10:30am in Masbate as a warning and the porters said that was normal arrival time for Filipinas Maasin). The old Trans-Asia Shipping ferries were all faster and arrive earlier than her. The sound of the engines seem okay and the propeller shaft does not make a racket but I just wonder what is the horsepower of her new China-made engines. Maybe she is better kept in the Maasin and Surigao route which is shorter than the Masbate route. But then the people of the two cities might have tired of her already and she can't go head-to-head with the superior Lady of Love of Medallion Transport which is new and competing with Cokaliong in the Surigao route.
The Filipinas Maasin after I disembarked from it in Cebu
In Cebu, we arrived some minutes past 9am. Well, it is good as it was already easy to hail a taxi (hard if it is between 6 to 8am). It is also good since we will be approaching Cebu when the sun is already up. But the early-morning smog of Cebu was still around when we passed by Tayud and Mactan Bay (this smog usually stays up to 8am, the product of all the sinugba of Cebu) and so my shots there were lousy especially since some ships are far. Ship spotting from Liloan to Cebu was my second reason why I took the Filipinas Maasin from Masbate.
It is obvious that with her re-engining Cokaliong Shipping Lines intends to keep the third Filipinas Maasin long-term. Well, unless the Department of Transportation of Arthur Tugade favors some shipping companies and culls the old but still reliable old ferries. But as things stand I expect to see the third Filipinas Maasin a long time more. And now she is already capable of sailing up to 12 knots, as the company said.
Well done, Cokaliong, for giving the third Filipinas Maasin a second lease of life. With new engines what will the bashers of old ships say now? The thickness of the hull can easily be proven by the magnetic anomaly detector. I assume the other equipment including the auxiliary engines are still in order (Dynamic Power, your main engine supplier also supplies that). There are lot of surplus parts including that of bridge equipment in the second-hand market, in case some needs replacement. You know that very well also.
So, right now your Filipinas Maasin is a living example on how to nay-say the bashers of old ships. Good!
Posted in Ship Feature, Travel ReportTagged 2go, Archipelago Philippine Ferries, Arthur Tugade, Car Ferry Cheju No.3, Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), Cheju or Jeju island, Cokaliong Shipping Lines Inc. (CSLI), Daihatsu marine engines, Deadweight Tonnage (DWT), design speed, Dumaguete and Dapitan, Dynamic Power, early-morning smog of Cebu, Filipinas Iloilo, general arrangement plan (GAP), Gothong and Aboitiz (WG & A), Gross Register Tonnage (GRT), Gross Tonnage (GT), Lady of Love, Liloan-Lipata ferry, Maasin, Maasin and Surigao routes, Mactan Bay, magnetic anomaly detector, Maharlika ship, masbate, Masbate-Cebu route, Net Tonnage (NT), new China-made engines, Ouano yard, Our Lady of Guadalupe, President Fidel V. Ramos, Roll Off) vessel, RORO (Roll on, Sanuki Shipbuilding and Iron Works, Surigao to Maasin, surplus, Takuma yard, Tayud, the third Filipinas Maasin, Trans Asia Shipping Lines, Utaka Maru, William, Zhong Hai No.3Leave a comment
The Uneven and Controversial Record of Breaking of Passenger Ships in the Philippines
In the recent decades it is only in the 1980's where I saw a relatively massive ship-breaking of Philippine ferries. Two big factors worked in confluence in that. One, the backbone of Philippine ferries of the postwar years, the former "FS" ships were already breaking down on its own because they were already 40 years old on the average which was already far beyond their estimated design life. Moreover, there was already a shortage of parts and to keep other "FS" ships running some others have to be cannibalized. And these ships were actually badly outgunned already by the newer ferries and as cargo carriers (some were used in that role when they were no longer competitive), they were already overtaken already by the newly-fielded container ships and by cargo ships with fixed schedules like the ships of Sea Transport.
An example of a former "FS" ship (Credits to Manila Chronicle and Gorio Belen)
The other big factor was the great economic crisis of the 1980's, the greatest since World War II when there was a contraction of the economy, inflation and the exchange rate were runaway and there was simply no loans available then and interest rates were sky high. Such situation will simply contract the need for ships. This was exacerbated by companies falling by the wayside, bankrupt and shuttered. That even included our auto manufacturing plants. In shipping, a significant percentage of our shipping companies folded and with it went their ships because the remaining shipping companies were just in survival mode and in no mood to take over their ships. That was the second main reason why many of our former "FS" were broken up in the 1980's. Most of them were scrapped locally specifically in Navotas. The passenger ships of the shipping companies that went belly up in the 1980's like Compania Maritima also ended up in the breakers and they were not limited to ex-"FS" ships. The 1980's was really a cruel decade for shipping.
Earlier, in the 1970's, the former Type "C1" ships were also lost as a class because their engines were no longer good. That also was true of the former Type "N" ships. These ships simply surrendered because they were no longer reliable and parts were hard to come by. And that is one truth in shipping. If a ship is no longer good especially the engines and it cannot be re-engined anymore then it goes to the breakers and no government order to cull is needed for that.
An example of a former Type "C1" ship (Credits to Phil. Herald and Gorio Belen)
After the 1980's, ship-breaking followed three main trends. One is the trend set by William, Gothong and Aboitiz (WG&A) and later by its successor Aboitiz Transport System (ATS). WG&A has the penchant to dispose of ship they think are already superfluous. That is actually what happens in mergers and acquisitions (M&A's). There will always an excess in assets including ships and personnel and the new entity will try to dispose of them to junk "non-performing assets" (NPA's). That is the reason why still-good liners and overnight ships were disposed to the breakers. There was really no good technical reason to send them there and die.
On the other hand, WG&A and its subsidiary Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC) had some ships that were nearly ready for the breakers because their engines were already beginning to get unreliable. WG&A tried to sell them as still "good" ships and a few shipping companies got conned buying ROROs with problematic engines and obsolete cruisers. The stinged companies like Sampaguita Shipping had to dispose later these ships.
Sold to raise cash (From http://www.greenshipbreaking.com)
When the two partners in WG&A divested, the Aboitiz family had to dispose of ships to pay them off. This was the reason why Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), the successor company to WG&A had to sell a series of still-good ships, passenger and container, to China breakers early this millennium. In effect, the Gothong and Chiongbian families were paid with cash from scrap metal and their old ships were gone forever.
Aboitiz Transport System also had to sell other ships to the breakers (their liners are too big to be overnight ferries) in order to acquire newer ferries. That was done in the middle of the 2000's.This is called renewal of the fleet and this is done all the time in other countries. Of course, a company will try to sell their weaker ferries in order to acquire new ones. This pattern also carried over into the successor company of ATS, the shipping company 2GO.
But again the reason to sell was not always based on technical reasons (as in the ship is no longer reliable) but on other considerations. I have observed that the creation of WG&A and its subsequent dissolution created a lot of crooked reasons for selling ships that were not based on the condition of the ship. Some of those were simply connected to cutting of routes and frequencies and the need to come up with cash.
Sold before its time for crooked reasons (Photo by Vinz Sanchez)
Meanwhile, competitor Negros Navigation Company (NENACO) was hit with illiquidity after their massive expansion fueled by bank loans backfired and they had to seek court protection from garnishment proceedings. However, these resulted in ships being laid up and offered for sale. These ships ended up in the hands of foreign breakers because liners were in excess then (and ATS does not buy ferries from competitors) as budget airlines and intermodal buses cut into their revenue..
But the next chopping of ships en masse was even more cruel. This was as a consequence of Sulpicio Lines getting suspended from sailing after the Princess of the Stars capsized in 2008. Stringent conditions were placed by MARINA, the maritime regulatory agency on Sulpicio Lines' return to passenger operations. Meanwhile, the bulk of their fleet rotted in their Mandaue wharf and in the middle of Mactan Channel. Along with strong public backlash, Sulpicio Lines lost heart and sold off their entire fleet to foreign breakers and a great passenger fleet that took five decades to build was lost in just one stroke. Those who knew shipping knew this great passenger fleet won't ever be replaced again. Ironically, it is the government bureaucrats regulating them which did not know that.
None of these survived the suspension
As a general rule, companies that do not run into trouble do not send ships to the breakers. WG&A (divestment of partners), Negros Navigation (illiquidity) and Sulpicio Lines (suspension) all ran trouble (and MARINA, the maritime regulatory agency tasked with the country's maritime development was of no help to them whatsoever). Non-liners frequently do not run into trouble and if ever they fold, many of their ships are taken over by other shipping companies (as their ships are easier to sell). That is what happened to the likes of Bicolandia Shipping Lines, San Juan Ferry, Western Samar Shipping Lines, Kinswell Shipping Lines, Shipsafe/Safeship, Mt. Samat Ferry Express, Moreta Shipping Lines, etc. But this did not happen to most of the big fleet of Viva Shipping Lines and its legal-fiction companies, to Sampaguita Shipping and SKT Shipping/Kong San Teo Shipping, both of Zamboanga, Tamula Shipping and many others..
Again, another rule, it is easier taking over a failed small company and small ferries because the sums involved are not astronomic. If it is a big liner company that gets into trouble, it is only the foreign ship-breakers that have the money to buy their ships.
A photo when this ship was for sale; ended in the breakers
I just hope our government understands more our ferry companies, their travails and the difficulty of keeping ferry companies afloat. From my observation with government it seems many of them think ferry companies are raking in money. It is not the lure of money which keeps them in shipping but simply their passion for shipping.
Our shipping sector is actually in distress but I still have to hear or read a government pronouncement acknowledging that. They push the shipping companies to modernize in a tone that as if buying ships is just as easy as acquiring buses. But the inescapable truth is our ferries are actually graying now. And so I fear for them, not because they will sink but we all know nothing lasts forever. I wonder if there will be a mass extinction of ferries in the future, say a decade from now like what happened to the "ex-FS" and ex-"C1" ships. If that happens maybe we will more LCTs and maybe surplus ferries from China.
Posted in Analysis, Information, Shipping IssuesTagged 2go, Aboitiz family, Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), former "FS" ships, former "C1-M-AV1" ships, former Type "N" ships, Gothong and Aboitiz (WG&A), Gothong and Chiongbian families, great economic crisis of the 1980's, LCTs, marina, Negros Navigation Company (Nenaco), sampaguita shipping, ship-breaking, Sulpicio Lines, WilliamLeave a comment
The Ship Design Conflict Within WG & A
Posted on June 29, 2017 by psssadmin
On the first day of the year 1996, the "Great Merger" officially happened. This brought the fleets and all assets of William Lines Inc. (WLI), Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. (CAGLI) and Aboitiz Shipping Corporation (ASC) under one single company and management except for some very old ferries of Aboitiz Shipping Corporation (the likes of Legazpi) and a some ferries and container ships of Aboitiz Jebsens (that was a separate company) which were the container ships acquired from the Ukraine. This was supposedly a preemptive move so local shipping can compete against the purported entry of foreign competition in the inter-island routes which proved to be a bogey or a false story later. How some old shipping families believed that foreigners can enter with a Anti-Cabotage Law in effect that forbids foreign shipping firms from sailing in local routes is beyond me because repeal of any law passes through Congress and our Congress is usually not keen on passing laws that grants free passage to foreigners and if those three liner and container shipping companies are willing, the regional shipping companies and other companies might not be willing and they can also raise a ruckus. But anyway the unlikely merger happened and a very big shipping company was formed from previously competitors.
Dona Virginia (Credits to Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center and Manu Sarmiento)
Any merger usually results in excess assets and in shipping that includes ships aside from management personnel and employees and logistical assets like containers, container yards and buildings. This was easily obvious with the WG&A merger. Since there were excess liners some of it were sent to its regional subsidiary Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC) like when the Mabuhay 6 (the Our Lady of Good Voyage) and the Our Lady of Lipa were sent there. Meanwhile, all the cruisers liners were offered for sale. They also tried to dispose old and unreliable ROROs like the Dona Cristina, Don Calvino and the Dona Lili that were formerly regional ferries. Actually even some recent liners were also offered for sale. The total was about 10 and that was already about a third of the combined fleet. That also included a handful of container ships.
I knew it early there was a conflict with the disposal of ships when I had as a cabin mate in SuperFerry 7 the cargo manager of William Lines in North Harbor and he was furious because to him it seems that the liners of William Lines were being targeted. Well, that might have been the unintended result of getting Aboitiz Jebsens as fleet and maintenance manager because they will use their old standard in choosing ships (that company was subsequently renamed to WG&A Jebsens to reflect the changed circumstances).
Don Calvino (Credits to George Tappan and Gorio Belen)
One has to look into recent history to understand this. Aboitiz Shipping Corporation as a liner company did not acquire any liners from 1974 to 1988 and the one they acquired in 1988 was inconsequential as it was just the small and old cruiser liner Katipunan of Escano Lines which became the Legaspi 1. By that time Aboitiz Shipping Corporation had just a few old liners sailing, a combination of former "FS" ships which were on its last legs and a few old cruisers including the pair acquired from Everett Steamship, the Legazpi and the Elcano which were also clearly obsolete already and getting unreliable. It looked to me that without their partner Jebsens Maritime that was influential in their container shipping (which was actually good), they might not have had their blockbuster SuperFerry series.
If one looks at the SuperFerry series of Aboitiz Shipping Corporation, one will easily see its distinguishing characteristics. They are all ROROs (or more exactly ROPAXes) with car ramps at the bow and at the stern, the container vans are all mounted in trailers, trailer caddies hauled them in a fast manner and if possible the two car ramps are both employed so one is dedicated for loading and the other for unloading. Radios are also employed for communication to orchestrate the movement of the container vans so a trailer caddy hauling a container aboard will have a container being unloaded on the way down and markers are used so loading of container vans will not be helter-skelter which can mean difficulty in unloading a container van in an intermediate port.
Maynilad by Britz Salih
To remedy their serious lack of liners due to non-purchase in the recent years past, Aboitiz Shipping Corporation and Aboitiz Jebsens designed their liners to have short interport hours as in 2 to 3 hours only, the former the preferred time. In Manila and in the endport, the port hours were also very short. With this kind of operation the SuperFerries had a high number of hours at sea on a weekly basis which meant maximum utilization. While a Sulpicio Lines liner will only have a round-trip voyage if the route is Southern Mindanao, an Aboitiz ship will still have a short trip to the likes of Panay within the same week or else do a twice a week Northern Mindanao voyage. With this style, their 4 SuperFerry ships were in practicality the equal of 5 or 6 ships of the competition. Of course with this kind of use of ships a heavy load of preventive maintenance is needed and that happened to be the forte of Aboitiz Jebsens.
When the Chiongbian and Gothong families agreed to the Aboitiz proposal to have Aboitiz Jebsens as fleet and maintenance manager they should have already known was in store and that is the liners should perform the Aboitiz Jebsens way and that meant those which can't will fall into disfavor and might be the target for culling because with the Aboitiz Jebsens system a lesser number of liners will be needed to maintain their route system and frequencies. Of course at the start WG & A will try to employ all the liners that were not relegated to their subsidiary Cebu Ferries Corporation. But then new liners were still coming onstream, the liners William Lines, Gothong Lines and Aboitiz Shipping ordered when they were still separate companies. WG & A created new routes and frequencies but in a short time they realized what cannot be maintained because there are not enough passengers or cargo like the routes to Tacloban and Dipolog (Dapitan actually) and the Manila-Dumaguete-Cotabato and Manila-Cebu-Surigao-Davao routes.
Tacloban City (Credits to Times Journal and Gorio Belen)
With that "weak" and "inefficient" ships will be targets for culling aside from the old liners and there was no question that cruiser liners will be first in the firing line. That type cannot carry much cargo and their cargo handling in the interport is longer as cargo booms are not as fast in loading and unloading unlike trailer caddies. So it was no surprise that the cruiser liners Misamis Occidental, Tacloban City and Iligan City, formerly of William Lines were almost immediately up for sale. The small ROPAX Zamboanga City was also offered for sale because her engines were big relative to her size and capacity (16,800-horsepower engines) and she had no ramps at the bow. That also went true for the slow Maynilad (14-15 knots only on 16,800 horsepower). The problem with these is they were all former William Lines ship, the reason why some former William Lines people were upset. But they accepted Aboitiz Jebsens as the fleet manager and so that will almost inevitably be the result.
Some lesser liners survived. The "Our Lady" ships of Gothong Lines survived because for their size and capacity their engines were small and that speaks of efficiency and though while a little slower they were fit for the short routes like the northern Panay routes (Dumaguit and Roxas City) or in the periphery like Masbate and Eastern Visayas. The northern Panay route also became the refuge of the Our Lady of Naju, a former Gothong ship which was also a cruiser. The passengers and cargo of the route were not big and so a big cruiser liner like the Dona Virginia will not fit. But of course all that favored the former Gothong ships. It might just have been a quirk of fate and not necessarily because the Gothong representative to the WG & A Board of Directors who is Bob Gothong is close to the Aboitizes. But then I wonder how the Our Lady of Lipa survived. For her size she has big engines and speed was not really needed in the Dumaguit/Roxas City route. Was it because they wanted to show up their competitor the old but beautiful cruiser liner Don Julio of Negros Navigation? I thought when the old cruiser liner Misamis Occidental was refurbished to become the cruiser ship Our Lady of Montserrat, a former William Lines vessel she might have fitted the route (she was even re-engined and became all-airconditioned like the Our Lady of Naju). Was her speed not really enough for the route? Or WG & A wants a ship that is really superior to the competition?
Credits to Keppel Cebu and Ken Ledesma
It was not surprising then that in the early merger years that former William Lines officers and employees would think it was only their vessels which was on the firing line or chopping block.
The beautiful SuperFerry 11 which was fielded after the merger was also not that favored. Her engines are just about okay for her size, she has the speed but then like the Zamboanga City she has no car ramps at the bow because she also came from A" Lines of Japan. She was also destined for William Lines if the merger did not happen. The beautiful Maynilad would have easily been a SuperFerry in terms of size and accommodations if not for her grave lack of speed. Being excess later the SuperFerry 11 and Maynilad were passed to Cebu Ferries Corporation and they were the biggest ships that company ever had. That was after WG & A created an entirely new route for them, the Manila-Ormoc-Nasipit route which in first report was good. But then along the years WG & A and successor company Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) developed a reputation for being very soft in holding and maintaining routes. In Cebu Ferries the SuperFerry 11 was renamed to Our Lady of Banneux and the Maynilad was renamed to Our Lady of Akita 2 after her top passenger deck was removed. The two happened to be ex-William Lines ships also! Although not clearly disfavored (as she made the SuperFerry grade), the Our Lady of Banneux which can run at up to 19 knots had a grounding incident in Canigao Channel from which she never recovered again.
The ship Zamboanga by Wilben Santos
So actually the William liners were the great casualties of the merger due to redundancy and incompatibility and that was because they were unlike the original SuperFerry liners and they simply cannot make the SuperFerry grade (well, just like the former "Our Lady" ships of Gothong Lines only one of those made the SuperFerry grade, the former Our Lady of Akita which became the SuperFerry 6). Of course their former Mabuhay 1 and Mabuhay 3 which made the SuperFerry grade lived longer. The former Mabuhay 2 was not lucky as she was hit by fire early which led to complete total loss. In the longer run only the Mabuhay 1 and Mabuhay 3 survived and the Mabuhay 3 as SuperFerry 8 was even leased to Papua New Guinea because of the surplus of liners in WG & A.
The liners of Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. (CAGLI) were more lucky as they found niche routes and small engines played into their favor. Moreover many of the former Gothong Lines ships were in regional routes and they lived long there including their former small liners the Our Lady of Fatima and the Our Lady of Lourdes which were sister ships. That even included the venerable Our Lady of the Rule and their old Our Lady of Guadalupe which has unreliable engines and I even wonder how she lasted so long. In the regional routes some former ships of William Lines survived like the Our Lady of Good Voyage and the Our Lady of Manaoag.
Dona Lili (Credits to PNA, Phil. Daily Express and Gorio Belen)
When the Chiongbian family of William Lines divested in 2003 only 2 of their former liners remained in WG & A aside from a few container ships. They were paid off in cash from the passenger and container ships that were scrapped. There were still many Gothong ships in the fleet of WG & A when they divested as most survived the culling but they preferred newly-acquired ships when they restarted independent operations.
And that was the story of the ship design conflict in WG & A which have been one of the reasons why the "Great Merger" unraveled so soon.
Posted in Analysis, Company Feature, Fleets, History, Information, Ship TypeTagged Aboitiz Jebsens, Aboitiz Shipping Corporation (ASC), Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), Anti-Cabotage Law, "Great Merger", "Our Lady of Naju", Bob Gothong, Carlos A. Gothong Lines Inc. (CAGLI), Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), Chiongbian family, Don Calvino, Dona Cristina, Dona Lili, Jebsens Maritime, Legaspi 1, Mabuhay 6, maynilad, MV Don Julio, Our Ladies, our lady of akita, Our Lady of Akita 2, Our Lady of Banneux, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lipa, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Manaoag, Our Lady of the Rule, ROROs, SuperFerry 11, SuperFerry 6, WG & A, WG&A Jebsens, William Lines Inc. (WLI), Zamboanga CityLeave a comment
The Princess of the Ocean
Posted on April 16, 2017 April 16, 2017 by psssadmin
The Princess of the Ocean of Sulpicio Lines was one peculiar ship that plied Philippine waters in the sense that she was a full-pledged liner but was just used as an overnight ferry since her fielding. There were other liners that were passed on to the Visayas-Mindanao routes before her but these happened when they were already old and were already at a disadvantage if used as liners and so they became hand-me-downs unlike the Princess of the Ocean which was fielded in the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route (the premier Visayas-Mindanao route) from the start and stayed there until she stopped sailing. The Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC) also had a liner that was used in the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route when it was first fielded, the Our Lady of Lipa but then she was transferred in a liner route which was the Manila-Dumaguit-Roxas route and she was also used in the Palawan route, both of the liner shipping company WG&A.
I am really not sure about the motives but one thing is sure is when the Our Lady of Lipa was first fielded in the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route on Christmas of 1995 is that Sulpicio Lines suffered a blow to their prestige as initially they only had the old and small Cagayan Princess to try to fend off the new competitor and clearly their ship was really outmatched by the ship sailing for Cebu Ferries Corporation, the regional shipping subsidiary of the merged shipping line WG&A. It was more than a year before Sulpicio Lines was able to respond because they prioritized great liners first to be able to hold their own against the onslaught of the giant shipping company WG&A. In 1997, they were able to acquire the Princess of the Ocean and instead of fielding her in a Manila route they chose to let her hold the Cagayan de Oro route and maintained her there to probably show who is the boss.
I thought at first that the Princess of the Ocean was just for show in Cagayan de Oro but I was mistaken. I was wondering if the ship was not too big for the route or even too speedy (but there were speed contests then to Cagayan de Oro and the bragging rights who got there first). But then a mariner member of PSSS (Philippine Ship Spotters Society) who worked with Sulpicio Lines before told me the Princess of the Ocean had enough cargo in the route including container vans transferred in Cebu from Manila. On the passenger side I really had a doubt if they can fill her 1,938 passenger capacity which was double than the normal Cebu-Cagayan de Oro ferry. I thought then her passengers were really lucky because that will mean they will usually have their choice of bunks with no regard to where they were assigned to. Whatever, the Princess of the Ocean was the biggest regular overnight ferry ever in the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro and also in Jagna, Bohol as she had a weekly voyage there.
But sometimes I also wondered if it was not all a waste. To show who is the boss in the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route, Sulpicio Lines had to maintain the old and obsolete cruiser liner Dipolog Princess in the Manila-Tagbilaran-Dapitan-Iligan route where she was already greatly outclassed by the ships of the competition. And another old cruiser and obsolete cruiser liner, the Iloilo Princess has to hold the Manila-Puerto Princesa route and she was also greatly outgunned there. And this is not even to mention another old and more obsolete liner, the Palawan Princess which does not even have airconditioning. I thought then that the Princess of the Ocean can hold route the Manila-Tagbilaran-Dapitan-Iligan route and maybe the Dipolog Princess can be shunted to the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route for after all she can also carry a limited number of container vans but not in a RORO deck but above the hull, topside. But then she would be no match to the Our Lady of Good Voyage, the Cagayan de Oro permanent ship of Cebu Ferries Corporation. Now if only the Manila Princess' engines were more reliable then Sulpicio Lines would have had more options. And I even thought that with weak engines this ship might have been better used as an overnight ferry as the stress on the engines would have been less.
Emerald Okinawa by Funekichimurase
The Princess of the Ocean started life as the Emerald Okinawa of the RKK Lines of Japan. She was built by the Kanda Shipbuilding Company in Kure, Japan in 1974 with the ID IMO 7370454 which means her keel was laid in 1973. She was completed in February 1975 which means she was launched in 1974. Maybe the Oil Shock of 1973 affected her building as it took too long. As her name and company name shows she had a route to Okinawa which is open ocean and that is why she had a great draft especially since she does not only carry container vans in her RORO deck but also topside in her stern. Originally she only had two passenger decks and her passenger capacity was just over 1,000 persons.
Externally, the ship measured 126.1 meters in length over-all (LOA) and her length between perpendiculars (LPP) was 118.0 meters. Her breadth was 22.0 meters and her original gross register tonnage (GRT) was 6,150 tons. She was powered by twin Mitsubishi-MAN engines totalling 20,000 horsepower giving her a top speed of 21 knots (which I think is rather low given her power). Incidentally, these engines were also the engines mounted on the much longer St. Joseph The Worker, St. Peter The Apostle and St. Ezekiel Moreno, all of Negros Navigation. The first two had design speeds too of 21 knots while being longer and the last had a design speed of 21.5 knots because she was a little shorter. Actually, the true top speed of Emerald Okinawa might have been 22 or 22.5 knots given that she can do 20 knots here even with added metal in the superstructure. That is if she was not limited by the transmission.
The Emerald Okinawa had a sister ship of the same dimensions with her, the Golden Okinawa, also of RKK Lines which also came to the Philippines to the revived Carlos A. Gothong Lines as the Cagayan Bay 1. However, they have different engines as this was only powered by a pair of Mitsubishi-MAN engines with a total of 15,200 horsepower which is the same powerplant in SuperFerry 2, SuperFerry 5, Cotabato Princess and Nasipit Princess. There is also a claim that actually SuperFerry 2 and SuperFerry 5 were sister ships of Emerald Okinawa and Golden Okinawa although those sisters are longer by 12 meters and built by another another shipyard, the Onomichi Zosen but then that claim is very most likely true.
In 1997, the Emerald Okinawa was sold to Sulpicio Lines and she was last RKK Lines ship that came to Sulpicio Lines (RKK lines supplied many liners to Sulpicio Lines before especially fast cruiser liners). She was then 23 years old at that time, three years more than what some falsely claim (because they have vested interests) that in Japan there is a rule that ships 20 years of age are mandatorily retired. A deck was added to her and so she became a three-passenger-deck ship with a passenger capacity now of nearly 2,000. Where before she can carry container vans topside in the stern, now that area had new scantling for the Economy Class. With the way she was rebuilt her stern had the looks now of a square-end stern. Her new depth was 8.1 meters and her new gross tonnage (GT) was 7,297. The ship's new net tonnage (NT) was 4,218 and her deadweight tonnage (DWT) as registered here was 3,079 tons. Princess of the Ocean's TEU capacity was about 90.
When she came to the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route, the Our Lady of Lipa of Cebu Ferries Corporation refused a head-on clash. That would have been a battle royale as they are about the same size (the Princess of the Ocean was a little bigger although their lengths are almost the same) and they have about the same speed that can be sustained which is 20 knots (not over time though). With 20 knots a 2am arrival in Cagayan de Oro is feasible with favorable tide and wind from an 8pm departure in Cebu. Watta way to titillate passengers and afford those with long connecting trips a chance to be in their homes before lunch even though it could be as far as Davao (that was the time when bus drivers still know how to press their pedal to the metal; now that is a big sin).
Cebu Ferries Corporation instead pulled out the Our Lady of Good Voyage from her Manila-Dumaguete-Dapitan and Manila-Puerto Princesa routes and she was the one which battled the Princess the Ocean for a long time but at an obvious disadvantage in size and speed and so Princess of the Ocean possessed the bragging rights. But funny the Princess of the Ocean is long gone now but the Our Lady of Good Voyage is still sailing the route as the Trans-Asia 9 (but this might not be for long now). But then who would have foreseen that Sulpicio Lines will quit passenger shipping in the aftermath of the restrictions and public furor caused by the sinking in a strong typhoon of their flagship Princess of the Stars? Who knows if that did not happen if the Princess of the Ocean is still sailing too now?
So for 11 years the Princess of the Ocean continued to sail and serve the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route until the disaster of 2008 when Sulpicio Lines was suspended by the maritime officials from sailing (later the license to carry passengers of Sulpicio Lines was even withdrawn). However, there was also a time when she left the route like in the aftermath of the sinking of the Sulpicio Lines flagship Princess of the Orient in a typhoon too in 1998 when she was assigned the Manila-Estancia-Iloilo-Zamboanga-Cotabato route of Cotabato Princess and that was a proof that she can be a liner if Sulpicio Lines chose so. Actually her dining rooms are not the usual that can be found in overnight ferries in the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route as it is a full-pledged dining area that can sit hundreds at any given time and with the opulence if it can be called that that was handed down from Emerald Okinawa. That also means her galley was ready for a days-long voyages and passengers can be fed free three square meals a day.
As rebuilt here the Princess of the Ocean was a little squarish in lines and she had a forecastle. On the sun deck a playground and a promenade were built. She had a quarter-front ramp on the starboard and also a quarter-rear ramp on the starboard as she was designed to dock on the starboard side (there are no passenger ramps on the port side). Of course that quarter-rear ramp can also be deployed if the docking is stern-ways or Meditteranean. Another notable feature of the Princess of the Ocean was she was a bridge-control ship which means her engines can be controlled from the bridge, the reason she had more controls and instrumentation in the bridge compared to the usual liner. In bridge-control ships the navigators also know the actual situation in the engine room.
The Princess of the Ocean was a fine liner and a better overnight ship although like in half of the Sulpicio Lines fleet sometimes the maintenance of the facilities lags. When I had two female friends ride with her on the way to a visit to my place they reported some unsatisfactory observations and that detracted from the enjoyment of their trip. Of course on the flip side the fares of Sulpicio Lines are a little cheaper than that of the competition. But then who can believe now that they only charged P187 for Economy and P245 for Tourist in the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route? That was how cheap it was then. Now if only those fares can be brought back then tourism will fly and the budget airlines will be dead.
Whatever, this good ferry was killed way ahead of its time because of the great misfortune that befell Sulpicio Lines which was also a misfortune to the general ship-riding public with the exception of the victims, of course (but the general ship-riding public does not know that except for a few). Laid up from August 2008, she was finally sold in the third quarter of 2010 and was broken up on January 23, 2011 by the Jiangmen Yinhu Shipbreaking Company in Xinhui, China.
Now all that are left of this peculiar ship are memories and photographs.
Posted in Information, Routes, Ship FeatureTagged bridge-control ship, Cagayan Bay 1, Cagayan Princess, Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), Cebu-Cagayan de Oro route, Dipolog Princess, Emerald Okinawa, Golden Okinawa, Iloilo Princess, IMO 7370454, Jagna, Jiangmen Yinhu Shipbreaking Company, Kanda Shipbuilding Company, Kure, Liner, Manila Princess, Mitsubishi-MAN engines, our lady of good voyage, Our Lady of Lipa, overnight ferry, Palawan Princess, premier Visayas-Mindanao route, Princess of the Ocean, PSSS (Philippine Ship Spotters Society), RKK Lines, RORO, Sulpicio Lines, XinhuiLeave a comment
The Batangas-Caticlan Route
Posted on December 3, 2016 December 3, 2016 by psssadmin
Once, as we were ship spotting Pier 4, me and Vinz noticed that there seems to be a ceremony involving Cebu Ferry 1 and Cebu Ferry 3. Asking the guard who is his friend, Vinz learned it was despedida (farewell ceremonies) for the two Visayas-Mindanao ferries which will be transferred in Batangas. We learned later that the Batangas manager of 2GO said he can make the two ferries earn more there than in Cebu. That was already the era of the retreat of Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC) when to think that in the late 1990's they were bullying the Visayas-Mindanao ferry companies which led to the demise of some. This time around, Cebu Ferries Corporation can no longer keep with their competition. What a reversal of fortune!
The despidida for two Cebu Ferry ships
Vinz asked me how the two ferries will fare in Batangas. I told him it is a different ballgame there. What I meant was in Cebu it was a matter of attracting passengers and loose cargo, I told Vinz the game in the intermodal ports of Luzon (and Batangas is one) is in attracting the buses and the trucks and I told him discounting (called "rebates") is the name of the game there (and that also includes freebies). That means whichever has the biggest discount will have the rolling cargo and for the regulars long-term agreements apply so it is not the decision of the drivers what ship to board. I told Vinz the new "Batangas Ferries" (my monicker) will have to learn the new game.
The new "Batangas Ferries" plied a direct Batangas to Caticlan route compared to their competitors which ply both the Batangas-Calapan route and the Roxas-Caticlan route and let the buses and trucks roll from Calapan to Roxas in Oriental Mindoro, a distance of about 120 kilometers or so or about 3 hours of rolling time. The "Batangas Ferries" can easily sail that route as an overnight ferry because they have the speed to do it in less than 12 hours (and as overnight ferries they are already equipped with bunks). In fact, early on they tried a round trip in a day for the Batangas-Caticlan route. Then they found out they don't have enough load because many of the buses and trucks are already tied to their competitors and there is no load yet in the early morning in Caticlan as the buses and trucks are still rolling from many parts of Panay and will still arrive at noon or in the afternoon.
A "Batangas Ferry" sailing into the coming night by Nowell Alcancia
In reality, even the slower ferries of their competition can do a Batangas-Caticlan route should they want to do it. It will take more than 12 hours but they will still be able to sail the next night. Even at the usual 11 knots they can do that route in no more than 16 hours. Their faster ferries than can do 14 knots can do the route in about 14 hours. Their ferries will just have to become overnight ferries+ instead of being short-distance ferries.
That then was the first rub. The ferries of Batangas are not used to and are even loath to operate overnight ferries. For one, they will have to convert their ferries to have bunks. That means expenses, that means lessening the passenger capacity. Now for shipping companies that are even loath to adding scantlings and were just content to have the unofficial "Stairs Class", that is a difficult sell. Good overnight ferries also must be able to provide a restaurant and hot food. Well, nothing beats the ease and profit margins of overpriced instant noodles where the only capital is hot water. Now what if MARINA obliges them to provide free meals if the voyage time is over 12 hours like what Administrator Pacienco Balbon required then of Viva Shipping Lines? That could be disaster.
Well, it seems nothing will beat requiring the rolling cargo and its passengers two ferry rides within the same night (for some that leave Manila late). They will earn twice and anyway the rolling cargo won't go to "Batangas Ferries" because many are tied to them with discounting and rebates. And they won't just transfer because the rates in the sea is high for the same distance and the distance of Batangas-Caticlan is high and so it is not cheap and Batangas Ferries is not used to discounting (actually, the reason they eventually lost in Visayas-Mindanao is they were the more expensive).
Passengers can't be aboard the bus during the voyage and in loading and offloading
The buses won't go along with "Batangas Ferries" too. If they ride on a Batangas-Caticlan ferry they would have to forego the fare for 120 kilometers or so and that is not peanuts. It has long been held by the LTFRB that a bus cannot charge for the distance traveled at sea (of course, secretly they will try to do it since anyway most passengers don't know how to compute the fare nor do they know of the number of kilometers). And they will have to pay higher for the longer sea distance crossed. Does anyone need a nail to the head?
And so the buses will rather have their passengers ride two ferries at night. That connotes all the trouble of disembarking and boarding again plus the queues for the various tickets. And never mind if it is raining. In that route, that can be the definition of "passenger service". Is there a difference between passengers and cattle?
And so until now it is still just 2GO, the renamed "Batangas Ferries" which do the direct Batangas-Caticlan route. Montenegro Shipping Lines, Starlite Ferries, Archipelago Ferries Philippines, Super Shuttle Ferry (Asian Marine Transport Corporation) and Besta Shipping Lines never did that direct route. Who said they will walk the extra mile for their clients?
"Batangas Ferry 3"
Anyway, passengers are appreciative of the superior accommodations of the 2GO ferries. They have never seen such ferries in Batangas before (and they haven't been to Cebu either, the home of good overnight ferries). They never ever thought that their ropaxes are actually just cattle carriers. And they have never seen a true restaurant in a ship before which the 2GO ferries have. And oh, plus true, polite passenger service (they have been too used to masahista ng bakal in T-shirts before pretending as stewards).
Will Archipelago Ferries Philippines do a direct route since their catamaran ROROs are faster (theoretically they can do the route is just 10 hours but they will have to do it at daytime since they don't have bunks)? Well, I don't think so. I heard they are even happy with the farther Bulalacao-Caticlan route since their sister company bus rolls farther and thus earns more from fare.
A catamaran RORO of AFPC by Jon Erodias
And that is the situation of the Batangas-Caticlan route. Now I wonder when the Panay passengers will demand for something better.
Are they just content to get up at night and disembark even if it is raining and continue the trip with their heads hanging out from seats and their bodies contorted in search of sleep?
Posted in Analysis, Information, Routes, Shipping competition, Shipping IssuesTagged 2go, Aboitiz Transport System (ATS), Administrator Pacienco Balbon, Archipelago Ferries Philippines, Asian Marine Transport Corporation, "Batangas Ferries", "rebates", "Stairs Class", "Super Shuttle Ferry 8", batangas, Batangas to Caticlan route, Batangas-Calapan route, Besta Shipping Lines, Bulalacao-Caticlan route, Calapan to Roxas, catamaran ROROs, cattle carriers, Cebu Ferries Corporation (CFC), Cebu Ferry 1, Cebu Ferry 3, despedida (farewell ceremonies), intermodal ports of Luzon, LTFRB, marina, masahista ng bakal, Montenegro Shipping Lines, Overnight Ferries, rolling cargo, Roxas-Caticlan route, Short-distance Ferries, Starlite Ferries, Vinz, Visayas-Mindanao ferries, Visayas-Mindanao ferry companies, Viva Shipping LinesLeave a comment