By Aerol John Pateña/PNA
MANILA — The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is urging shipping companies to consider deploying their ships to missionary routes to further enhance connectivity across the country.
This, as MARINA opened new roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) missionary routes for application by shipping operators, in line with its initiative to modernize domestic shipping in support of the development of a national nautical highway system in the Philippines.
“The MARINA declared 19 missionary routes on 31 January 2019 to further connect various islands between the Central Nautical Highway to the Eastern Nautical Highway or from the Western Nautical Highway to the Central Nautical Highway. These missionary routes are part of the remaining 109 lateral routes that need to be served, considering the availability of RoRo-capable ports,” MARINA Officer-in-Charge Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr said in a statement Tuesday.
Shipping companies that will serve a missionary route shall be able to avail of investment protection for five years and 50 percent discount on regular fees for all applications and renewal of ship documents, licenses, certificates, and permits.
They may also propose routes that are capable to be served by RoRo ports.
Vingson said several shipping companies have expressed interest to operate along the RoRo missionary routes, during the House Committee on Transportation’s Oversight Committee hearing on the RoRo system held in Cebu City last Monday.
Shipping firms have said that they are eyeing to operate along the following routes:
– Batangas City – San Jose, Occidental Mindoro – Coron, Palawan
– Lucena, Quezon – Odiongan, Romblon – Caticlan/New Washington
– Lucena, Quezon – Romblon, Romblon
– Lucena, Quezon – Masbate City-Calbayog, Northern Samar
– Maasin, Southern Leyte – Ubay, Bohol
– San Andres, Quezon – San Pascual, Masbate- Pasacai, Masbate
– Taytay, Palawan – Cuyo, Palawan
The other missionary routes that are open for shipping operators include:
– Basco, Batanes – Currimao, Ilocos Norte
– San Juan, Batangas – Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro
– Real, Quezon – Polillo Island, Quezon
– Pantao, Albay – San Pascual, Masbate
– Calbayog City, Samar – Cataingan, Masbate
– Cuyo, Palawan – San Jose de Buenavista, Antique
– Oslob, Cebu – Dumaguete, Negros Oriental
– Punta Engano, Mactan Island, Cebu – Jetafe, Bohol
– Poro, Camotes, Cebu – Isabel, Leyte
– Lipata, Surigao del Norte – Dapa, Surigao del Norte
– Siaton, Negros Oriental – Dipolog City
– Lucena, Quezon – Buyabod, Marinduque
Shipping firms that are interested to operate along the new routes may file their applications with MARINA.
These will become operational once a qualified applicant is determined based on evaluation of its documents and has been issued the necessary permits by MARINA.
House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo lauded the maritime agency for its swift action to hasten the declaration of missionary routes for the promotion of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway System.
Arroyo has asked the Department of Transportation to give missionary routes to shipping lines to address the problem of unserved ports due to lack of operators.
RoRo missionary routes provide one or more direct connecting ports that have no existing shipping services due to geographical limitations.
