Marina pushes for shipbuilding park

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is committed to develop the shipbuilding and ship repair industry as it firms up the implementation of its key projects for the industry this year. Marina Planning Officer Myrna Clemino said the agency has come up with a medium-term development plan (MTDP) geared towards making the country a major shipbuilding and ship repair center in East Asia.

The plan aims to push for several projects such as the Maritime Industrial Park and the Maritime R&D Training Center. Marina has already entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA) for the establishment of the 100-hectare maritime park within the sprawling Phividec Industrial Estate in Togoloan, Misamis Oriental.

The park will serve as an integrated shop for various maritime projects offering facilities for building new ships, oil depot or tank farm, spare parts depot, and research and training center for maritime power.

Furthermore, the park is not only the first of its kind in the country, it is also located far from typhoon pathways and can accommodate ships up to 300,000 DWT. Marina said the site will be allocated and leased out to companies that will decide to locate their facilities in the industrial park.

Meanwhile, the proposed R&D Center is expected to enhance the technology and productivity of the shipyards in the country. "This facility will enable local shipyards to continuously apply the appropriate technology and training which the country lacks. It will also serve as a training ground for ship researchers, inspectors and other related types of technical skills to make them competent in their respective jobs," Clemino stressed. She added that Marina would also step up drive to develop ancillary industries that will make available locally manufactured ship components instead of importing them.

The agency has high hopes for the ship repair sector, accounting for the bulk of the shipyards' operation owing to the number of domestic vessels that need periodic repairs. Afloat ship repairers actually dominate the sector as demand for above-waterline ship repair has steadily increased. Prospects for shipbuilding remain also high with foreign and local ship builders taking bold moves to establish joint ventures to construct ships up to 50,000 DWT for export.

In 1998, the sector showed a marked improvement by building and exporting nine bulk carriers of 23,000 DWT bulk carriers. For this year until 2001, the sector has six foreign orders: two units of 28,000 DWT bulk carriers, two units of 45,000 DWT bulk carriers, and two units of 52,000 DWT bulk carriers.

In 1998, most of the newbuildings were fishing boats. Marina explained this came when it legalized all unlicensed motor boats as well as unregistered boat builders and small shipyards. As for shipbreaking, Marina said its development is hampered by lack of right business inducement and support to accelerate the "scrap and build policy" intended to replace old and inefficient ships with newbuilding. -- Maritime Review