Filipino shipowners should patronize local shipbuilders when ordering newbuilds for modernizing their fleet.
“It’s time to use our own resources as we build our capacity for technology and experience,” urged Sammuel Lim, Chairman of the Philippine Register of Shipping (PRS) during the keel-laying ceremonies of a newbuilding project for Filipino shipowner Shogun Ships Company last week.
Shogun Ships, a domestic tanker shipping venturing into the passenger shipping business for the first time, placed an order for four 1,000-gross ton ro-pax (roll-on roll-off passenger) ferries at the Navotas-based shipyard Safe Rudder Corp.
The ro-pax, which will be delivered next year, can carry 632 passengers and more than 20 buses including small vehicles.
While fully owned Filipino shipyards have undertaken a number of newbuilding projects in the past, most major operators buy secondhand ships from overseas, to the detriment of local shipbuilders. The newbuilt Roll-On, Roll-Off vessels deployed in domestic routes were mostly made from overseas shipyards.
Good news is, local banks like the Philippine Business Bank, are now financing projects shipbuilding and ship modernization, Lim noted.