Lite Shipping raises the bar in domestic shipping sector

CEBU, Philippines — Lite Shipping Corporation raises the bar for domestic shipping in the Philippines with its newly acquired roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) catamaran passenger vessel MV Lite Ferry 88.

Maritime Industry Authority administrator Rey Leonardo Guerrero said during the blessing and inauguration of the vessel that this is the first step into the modernization of domestic ferry system in the country.

"We have seen a lot of shipping communities coming up with new vessels and Lite Shipping Corporation is raising the bar once more," said Guerrero.

LSC president Lucio "Jun" Lim, Jr., said that this modern vessel is in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to modernize the local shipping industry.

Lim, who is also the chairman of Philippine RoRo Association, said that this vessel travels Cebu-Tubigon/Tubigon-Bohol four times daily. He added that MV Lite Ferry 88 is dubbed as "Barkong Bol-anon" tracing their roots in Bohol.

Michael Lloyd Dino, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas said that with the world-class MV Lite Ferry 88, he hopes that the rest of the competitors in the shipping industry would also follow.

MV Lite Ferry 88 is LSC's first RoRo vessel since it started operations in 1989.

The US$8.3 million vessel can carry up to 352 passengers, ten-wheeler trucks and 20 light vehicles. It has an economy class or the sun deck, tourist class and business class.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) secretary Arthur Tugade said, in his speech read by Guerrero, that the Marina will soon be implementing the Ten year Maritime Industry Development Program, which will serve as the blueprint for the sea transportation industry in the country.

Tugade said that modernizing the sea transport industry requires huge capitalization but this should be done to achieve an efficient transportation system.

"Marina commits to implement a meaningful change not only in terms of efficiency of services but also professionalizing our people in their dealings with our stakeholders," said Tugade in his message.

Tugade added that an efficient sea transport system is needed to better market the country's tourism products and be able reached its destination in a timely manner.

Tugade was supposed to represent President Rodrigo Duterte for the said event. Presidential son Sebastian "Baste" Duterte also graced the event together with other stakeholders in the maritime industry.