A total of 116 vessels had been registered in the Philippines as of March 2014, according to the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).
Of the total, 53 are bulk carriers, 23 general cargo vessels, 10 tankers, eight livestock carriers, six car carriers, five container ships, four wood chip carriers, four multipurpose carriers, one roll-on/roll-off, one dry cargo ship, and one chip carrier.
Marina said that among its goals for 2013 to 2016 is to make the Philippine ship registry an attractive, quality, and strong sovereign flag of choice for ship owners, and ensure that by 2016 the domestic fleet is modern and regionally competitive with higher safety standards.
The authority’s recently released data also showed that as of August last year, 401 companies engaged in overseas shipping services are accredited as required under Marina Memorandum Circular No. 186.
Late last year, Marina called for a stakeholders’ meeting regarding its plan to amend and expand the coverage of MC No. 186 so that it includes the accreditation of sea freight forwarders by the agency. Under Presidential Decree No. 474, or the Maritime Industry Decree of 1947, Marina should have general jurisdiction over sea freight forwarding as well as other maritime services.
But currently, seafreight forwarders are under the supervision of the Department of Trade and Industry Fair Trade and Enforcement Bureau. The sector has long sought a transfer to Marina.
As for the domestic fleet inventory, Marina’s latest available data showed there are 9,574 local vessels as of December 31, 2013. Of the total, 5,734 are passenger vessels, 2,813 are containers, 245 are tankers, 534 are tugboats, and the rest are yachts, special-purpose ships, and other types.
Asian Shipping Corp. — which rents out landing craft tanks, tugs and barges — is the top domestic shipping company in gross register tonnage (GRT), with 125,995.23 GRT. Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. (formerly Sulpicio Lines) follows with 116,578.05 GRT, and 2GO Group, Inc. comes in third with 86,965.03 GRT.
Completing the top 10 list are Asian Marine Transport Corp. (74,793.60 GRT), SMC Shipping and Lighterage Corp. (62,406.94 GRT), Oceanic Container Lines, Inc. (55,138 GRT), Solid Shipping Lines, Corp. (48,840.51 GRT), Carlos A. Gothong Lines, Inc. (42,295.53 GRT), Lorenzo Shipping Corp. (40,025 GRT), and Negros Navigation Co., Inc. (29,961.66 GRT).
However, in vessel fleet, RBL Fishing Corp., which specializes in commercial fishing as well as processing of fish products, is currently on top with a fleet of 106 vessels. It is followed by Asian Shipping with 101 vessels, then by Irma Fishing and Trading, Inc. with 96 ships. Most of those on the list of top 50 domestic shipping enterprises in terms of vessel fleet are fishing companies or those engaged in tugs, lighterage, and LCTs.
Meanwhile, the maritime authority listed 238 companies engaged in ship building and ship repair (SBSR) as of August 2014.
Of the total, 150 are registered within Metro Manila and the northern part of Luzon, while the rest are located in Batangas, Legaspi, Iloilo, Cebu, Zamboanga, Cagayan, Davao, and General Santos.
In related news, Marina Regional Office VIII has opened satellite offices in Maasin, Ormoc, Calbayog, and Guiuan to bring its services closer to the people and provide continued support for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Tacloban City (Leyte) and other areas in Eastern Visayas destroyed by super typhoon Yolanda in 2013. – Roumina Pablo
Photo courtesy of Manila North Harbor Port, Inc
