Subic firm ready with 2 drydocks

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A Philippine-registered company providing ship repair and new building services in this freeport is now ready to take on more customers as it announced full operations of its two drydocks.

Catalino Bondoc, president of Subic Drydock Corp. (SubicDock), said the firm has recently acquired the AFDL-21, which has a lifting capacity of 1,000 tons, to complement the biggerAFDM-5, which can lift vessels up to 18,000 tons.

SubicDock, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cabras Marine Corp., brought the AFDM-5 in Subic last year to cater to a growing clientele in the ship repair industry.

The AFDM-5, which is a trough-type dock of welded structural steel with pontoons on its center and two end sections and two fixed rectangular sidewalls, can take in vessels up to 96 feet in width.

Both the drydocks are now berthed at the approach pier of Bravo Wharf here in the Subic Freeport.

“With these two drydocks, we are now able to serve a wider range of vessels and be one of the leaders in the Philippine ship repair industry,” declared Bondoc.

“Our vision is to be a world-class provider of ship repair, overhauling, installation, fabrication, and port general services,” he added during a recent familiarization tour of the firm’s facilities for shipping agents.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano Salonga, who attended the briefing, said SubicDock’s ship repair facilities would “surely boost Subic’s bid to become a major international maritime center.”

“We’ve got it all here,” Salonga said. “Subic has a deep, natural harbor for ships, tax-free environment for business, and skilled but comparatively cheap manpower.”

“I believe that SubicDock, which is highly experienced in this business, will prosper here in Subic,” he added.