Trans-Asia’s RoPax newbuild hurdles sea trials

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MV Trans-Asia 21. photo from Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp.
  • MV Trans-Asia 21 (TA 21), Trans-Asia Shipping Lines’ new and biggest roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) passenger (RoPax) vessel, has completed its sea trials
  • TA 21 will be delivered to the Philippines in the second quarter of the year for deployment on a prime route
  • At 123 meters long and with a gross registered tonnage of 8,800 tons, the ship can carry a total of 1,085 passengers, 24 buses and 11 trucks
  • TA 21 will be CLC’s 12th RoPax ship to be made in Japan and designed specifically for operation in Philippine waters

Trans-Asia Shipping Lines, Inc.’s new roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) passenger (RoPax) vessel, its biggest RoPax ship to date, has successfully completed sea trials off Japan prior to delivery to the Philippines in the second quarter of the year.

MV Trans-Asia 21 (TA 21) measures 123 meters in length and has a gross registered tonnage of 8,800 tons. It can carry a total of 1,085 passengers, 24 buses and 11 trucks, said Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. (CLC), Trans-Asia’s parent firm, in a statement.

During its April 13 sea trials in Fukuoka, Japan, TA 21 reached its designed top speed of 20.1 knots and hurdled all tests to ensure vessel is safe to operate, CLC said.

The ship was constructed at the Fukuoka Shipyard in Japan and internationally classified by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, one of the largest and most reputable ship classification agencies in the world.

When delivered in the second quarter of 2021, TA 21 will be CLC’s 12th and biggest brand-new RoPax made in Japan, designed specifically to operate in Philippine waters.

“MV Trans-Asia 21 was contracted for shipbuilding with a highly reputable Japanese shipyard several months prior to the onset of the pandemic, and is in partnership with one of the biggest private ship owners in Japan,” CLC president and chief executive officer Chryss Alfonsus Damuy said.

“The shipping industry might have been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic but we are convinced that this investment will be a meaningful revenue and profit contributor to the group.”

He said that since the Philippines is an archipelagic country largely dependent on shipping to move people, goods, and services, “the shipping and logistics industry will recover faster because it is essential and a necessity in global trade.”

TA 21 is the latest addition to CLC’s fleet of 76 vessels, composed of 22 RoPax vessels, 10 fastcraft, 11 cargo ships, 16 tankers, 16 tugboats, and one floating dock spread across the company’s subsidiaries Trans-Asia, Chelsea Shipping Corp., Starlite Ferries, Inc., and The Supercat Fast Ferry Corp.

CLC said TA 21 will be deployed on a prime route.