First tourist submarine in Phl starts voyage

CEBU, Philippines - The watercraft was manufactured in Belgium; its seaworthiness was inspected and guaranteed in South Korea; and now,  the 48-passenger, 99-ton Yellow Submarine is all geared up to journey into the depths of Cebu, Philippines.

Five-star Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa in Brgy. Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City officially launched last Tuesday its newest concessionaire which is considered to be the country’s first submarine for underwater tour.

The resort’s latest addition to its roster of outdoor activities is about 22.2 meters long, 7.2 meters high and controlled by an electro-hydraulic system with a battery that can last up to 72 hours.

It could be remembered that the vessel arrived here in Cebu in August 2012, however, it did not start accommodating passengers until officials were finally able to iron out all the necessary procedures involved in its commercial operation.

Last March 26, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) granted Cebu Yellow Submarine & Undersea Tour Corp., the rightful owner of the vessel, a special permit to operate the submarine and determined its maximum accommodation to be 50 persons including all passengers and crew.

Yellow Submarine, which can travel in a maximum speed of five knots, has been allowed to operate for eight hours during daylight and good weather conditions with its area of operation limited within 500 meters from the shorelines.

The Marina has also given authority to Capt. Insp. Woo Jae Kim, a Korean national, to supervise the entire crew on board.

According to operations and safety manager Anelito Gabisan, it took some time for them to get all the  paperwork done since the Philippines does not have  existing regulations governing submersible vessels.

Gabisan, who used to work with the Philippine Coast Guard as the public information officer for District Central Visayas, said concerned government agencies have yet to crop up with regulatory measures within the month.

He pointed out, however, that Yellow Submarine already obtained international certification from the Korean Registry of Shipping on January 20 this year after it was found to be fit and efficient according to the registry’s rules and standards.

But while it could dive to maximum depths of 100 meters, Marina ruled out that it can only go down as far as 35 meters, taking into account the passengers’ safety and the nature of it being a mere passenger or tourist vessel, Cebu Yellow Submarine general manager Jun Kim said in a press conference.

Kim also said they have yet to settle on final fixed prices, but promotional rates for now are pegged at P1,200 for local residents, P800 for children up to 12 y/o and free of charge for kids below 4 y/o.

He said hotel guests are their primary market at the moment, although they are also open to the idea of extending the service to other target markets and even expressed the possibility of adding another submarine should the venture goes out well.

As of press time, the submarine has made 20 trips so far after they received Marina’s approval last week. Currently, they are able to generate one to three trips in a day, although Kim cited a similar submarine in Jeju Island, South Korea could make up to 15 rounds in a day.

As a standard protocol before embarkation, passengers are briefed on some safety and precautionary standards such as how to properly wear the life vest and gas mask during emergencies.

Passengers are then bound to see marine environment’s diversity teeming with various species of fish and corals for the entire duration of the 30 to 35-minute ride inside the fully-air conditioned vessel. They may also come across scuba divers along the submarine’s route.

Yellow Submarine was built in 1989 and had operated for a few years in Pattaya, Thailand before it arrived here in the Philippines last year after being acquired by its current owner-company.  — (FREEMAN)