Philippines To Launch Davao-Indonesia RoRo Ferry Service In 2017 Under President Duterte
The Davao and General Santos to Bitung, Indonesia sea
connectivity route is targeted to start under the administration of President
Rodrigo Duterte before the launching of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean) Summit 2017 to be hosted by the Philippines next year.
According to Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) Deputy
Executive Director, Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro, the final identified
roll-on-roll-off (Ro-Ro) shipping service which will serve the route is the
Asian Marine Transport, a Philippine registered shipping firm and operator of
the Super Shuttle Ferry, Super Shuttle Roro, and Shuttle Fast Ferry vessels.
“What is being prepared for now is the shipping firm is
reviewing the load to determine the cargo volume (of both Mindanao and Indonesia)
to make the shipping service viable,” Montenegro said.
The shipping service is among the priorities of Brunei
Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga)
which will further facilitate sub-regional trade, enhance people-to-people
contacts as well as give the greater impetus to the multimodal transport
connectivity of the sub-region.
Minda Secretary Datu Abul Khayr Alonto said earlier in a
statement that the route is seen as one of the mechanisms that will strengthen
sea trading within Eaga, which is part of their strategy to develop a virtual
economic bridge for the sub-region’s traders.
In the recently concluded 20th Ministerial Meeting in Puerto
Princesa, Palawan, the sub-region’s ministers said they are pleased with the
steady progress for the establishment of “safe, efficient and reliable shipping
routes in Davao-Gensan-Bitung.”
Once realized, the route will enable traders from Mindanao
to easily export goods and commodities like food and beverage, electronics and
garments, beauty products, fertilizer, construction materials, agricultural
inputs, tin cans and packaging materials up to North Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Last year, MV Beverly of PT Kanaka from Bitung and Platinum
Shipping Lines of Cagayan de Oro were reported to serve the route but some
challenges in securing permits were faced causing the project’s delay.
“They faced challenges like getting permits, they need first
to upgrade its permit to the international standards to serve the route,”
Montenegro said.
Philippines To Launch Davao-Indonesia RoRo Ferry Service In 2017 Under President Duterte
Reviewed by Yen
on
December 13, 2016
Rating:
Post a Comment