CEBU, Philippines - The ill-fated M/V St. Thomas Aquinas which sank off Talisay City last Friday evening after a collision with a cargo vessel is already 40-years old, according to shipspotting.com.
The 11,405 gross tonnage “roll-on, roll-off†passenger ship was built in 1973 by Onomichi Dockyard in Onomichi, Japan.
The 455-foot (139 m) long vessel is owned and managed by 2GO Group, Manila, Philippines. It was first named as Ferry Sumiyoshi until April 1992.
It was acquired by Aboitiz and renamed Aboitiz Superferry 2 until January 1996. It was again renamed Superferry 2 until April 2012 when it finally got the name of Saint Tomas Aquinas until it made her final bow last Friday evening down in the depths of Lawis Ledge.
The M/V Sulpicio Express 7 on the other hand is a 9,754 gross tonnage cargo vessel built in 1981.
This cargo vessel is owned by Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation (formerly Sulpicio Lines). (FREEMAN)