-
The Maritime Industry Authority welcomed the new locally-built general cargo vessel MV Serene Grace, which will transport shipbuilding materials between Japan and the Philippines
-
MARINA chief Sonia Malaluan served as principal sponsor at the naming and delivery ceremony of the 17,000 DWT general cargo vessel built by Tsuneishi Heavy Industries in Balamban, Cebu
-
MV Serene Grace is Philippine-flagged with an all-Filipino crew of officers and ratings
-
MARINA noted the significance of the vessel’s registration in the Philippines through bareboat chartering and built domestically
The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) welcomed the locally-built general cargo vessel, MV Serene Grace, that will haul shipbuilding materials between Japan and the Philippines, highlighting the milestone as proof of the nation’s increasing shipbuilding capability.
MARINA administrator Sonia Malaluan served as principal sponsor during the naming and delivery ceremony of the 17,000 DWT general cargo vessel built by Tsuneishi Heavy Industries in Balamban, Cebu.
The vessel, registered under the Philippine flag, is staffed entirely by Filipino seafarers, including 20 officers and ratings.
Malaluan said the vessel underscores confidence in the Philippine flag and in Filipino seamanship, as well as the strength of partnerships between local shipping companies and major shipbuilding counterparts. She also noted the vessel’s potential significance for the Philippine ship registry, given that it entered the country through bareboat chartering while being built domestically in a Cebu shipyard.
“M/V Serene Grace may be one vessel, but she is the start. The proof that Philippine shipping companies can own, and operate ocean-going vessels constructed right here in the Philippines,” Malaluan said.
READ: PH shipbuilding milestone: THI delivers world’s 1st methanol dual-fuelled bulk carrier
She expressed gratitude to Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, Serene Breeze Shipping Corporation, and Kambara Kisen following the rope-cutting ceremony. She was accompanied by her chief of staff, Engr. Ramon Hernandez, and MARINA Regional Office VII director, Engr. Ronaldo Bandalaria.
MARINA said the vessel reflects current trends and key achievements in the agency’s continuing push to promote domestic shipbuilding and ship repair and to grow the country’s ship registry.
READ: MARINA calls on shipbuilding sector to take lead, help lobby for bills
