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The Maritime Industry Authority is considering to establish a maritime industrial park in Bataan or other strategic locations
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This was discussed during the recent meeting between MARINA administrator Sonia Malaluan and Authority of the Freeport of Bataan (AFAB) administrator Mohammed Hussein Pangandaman
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Malaluan said the maritime industrial park will be a one-stop-shop for shipbuilding and ship repair services to reduce the importation of materials from other countries
The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) may establish a maritime industrial park in Bataan or other strategic locations.
This was discussed during the recent meeting between MARINA administrator Sonia Malaluan and Authority of the Freeport of Bataan (AFAB) administrator Mohammed Hussein Pangandaman, the maritime authority said in a statement.
AFAB operates, administers, manages, and develops the Freeport Area of Bataan in Mariveles.
Malaluan during the meeting highlighted the importance of the maritime industrial park, which aims to have a one-stop-shop for shipbuilding and ship repair (SBSR) services to reduce the importation of materials.
She also shared MARINA’s goal of enhancing the SBSR capacity of the Philippines in order to become self-sufficient in terms of shipping vessels, and to establish expertise in SBSR among Filipino maritime professionals.
Pangandaman, for his part, discussed current challenges that AFAB is facing but he committed to provide relevant data to MARINA’s initiative in improving the SBSR industry.
Both agencies intend to conduct a series of meetings to discuss possible collaborations and projects for the maritime sector.
The establishment of the maritime industrial park is one of the projects under MARINA’s Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP) 2028, the country’s whole-of-nation roadmap for the integrated development of the maritime industry.
READ: Implementation of Maritime Industry Development Plan 2028 approved
The establishment of an eco-industrial maritime park is one of the strategies under the core program on the modernization, expansion and promotion of the Philippine SBSR industry
The project aims to transform the Philippines as a “go-to-location” for international SBSR.
According to the MIDP, the concept of the maritime park is to provide a dedicated a location where SBSR companies will enjoy various incentives similar to those enjoyed by Philippine Economic Zone Authority locators.
It will have locators such as shipyards, ancillary industries, technical, legal, and logistics services, both for the domestic and global markets.
The MIDP said the establishment of an eco-industrial maritime park will not only support the modernization of SBSR facilities in the country, but also the reintegration of Filipino seafarers to work as marine surveyors, technical superintendents, and managers of ancillary industries.
MARINA Shipyards Regulation Service engineer II Marco Dela Cruz earlier said availability of supply of basic machineries, equipment and spare parts used for SBSR is one of the challenges of the sector.
He also noted the preference to import ships, whether brand-new or secondhand, for domestic voyages since the government offers tax incentives for the importation while there is “absence of government incentives to sustain SBSR activities.”
