Cokaliong strengthens Ph maritime lead
Acquires 13th Passenger/Ro-Ro Vessel
Mindful of its utmost thrust to provide world-class and safe maritime services in the Philippines, shipping giant Cokaliong Shipping Lines, Inc., announced the arrival of its 13th passenger/ro-ro (roll-on, roll-off) vessel this year.
Built in the year 2000, the 1,391 gross tonnage M/V Ferry Toshima will be the youngest passenger/ro-ro vessel to join the Cokaliong Shipping Lines fleet, bringing in the word-class technology and facilities to the inter-island service in the Philippines.
The company, under the helm of its Founder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Chief Operating Officer (COO) Chester Cokaliong has been in the forefront of providing only the best in inter-island connectivity service. This addition further strengthens its dominance in the industry.
With the shipping lines' another investment of Y285 million (excluding duties and taxes estimated at P18 million), Cokaliong is making history again in the country's maritime industry in leading the commitment of service excellence.
M/V Ferry Toshima, sourced directly from Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, is the fourth vessel of Cokaliong fleet that has Engine Monitoring System. This is a feature that monitors the performance of the main & auxiliary engines to avoid breakdown or machine glitches.
Set to arrive in the Philippine shores in the first week of June this year, M/V Ferry Toshima will immediately take its "beautification rest" or ship renovation at least in the next four months, that would amount to another P50 million, until she is ready to unveil her maiden voyage tentatively by October 2018, said Cokaliong.
The journey of Cokaliong Shipping Lines for years carved a brand of service excellence, cleanliness and efficiency, and this gesture of acquiring new passenger/ro-ro vessel from no less than the renowned quality ship-maker in the world--Japan, strengthens this trademark of industry leadership.
According to Cokaliong, the official route of the new ship will be determined after its arrival, although the most in demand ports like Cagayan de Oro City, Iloilo City, Ozamis City and Iligan City may take the honor for her designated route.
With too many island provinces and cities inviting Cokaliong to operate in their respective ports, like the Chambers of Commerce organizations of Ormoc City and Siquijor, local governments officials of Oroquieta City in Misamis Occidental and in Lamitan, Basilan, among others, he said he is taking the expansion one-step-at-time taking into consideration the business feasibility and sustained passenger and cargo traffic.
The 19-knot M/V Ferry Toshima carries a Daihatsu 4,000 PS x 2 units as main engine, aided by a Daihatsu 750 PS x 2 units as auxiliary engine.
With length of 85.76 meters, and 14.60 meters breadth, M/V Ferry Toshima may not be the largest ship in Cokaliong's fleet but certainly is the youngest and most modern.
Classed under Registro Italiano Navale (RINA)-Italy, which is a member of the International Classification Society (IACS), M/V Ferry Toshima is the second Cokaliong ship to have a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP), next to M/V Filipinas Nasipit.
This multi-million-peso ship acquisition is expected to provide at least 50 more jobs to Filipinos, Cokaliong said.
Cokaliong, the country's acclaimed shipping magnate further strengthens his seal of leadership in the inter-island passenger and cargo services by constantly providing facilities that are at par with international standards.
Other hi-tech navigational equipment of M/V Ferry Toshima include: SSB Radiotelephone, VHF Radiotelephone with Digital Selective Calling (DSC), Satellite EPIRB, Automatic Identification System (AIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Doppler Log, Echo Sounder, GPS Plotter, Gyro Compass and Magnetic Compass, Navigational Telex (NAVTEX), Search and Rescue Transponder (SART), Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System (BNWAS), Anemometer and two Radars with Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA), among others.
Just like her sister ships, M/V Ferry Toshima, which will also acquire her Cokaliong trademark name shortly upon arrival, will have luxury suits, and cabins, as well as comfortable tourist and economy accommodations.
Under the MARINA latest Circular No. 2017-04, shipping companies are ordered to import ships that should be no less than 500GT and should not be more than 20 years old.
Furthermore, MARINA required newly acquired vessels to be classed by IACS at the time of importation.
The multi-awarded shipping magnate--Cokaliong said his company is one of the few shipping line operators in the Philippines to have met and even surpassed this standard requirement.
In fact, he added more than half of its fleet including the newly acquired ships are already classed with the Francebased Bureau Veritas (BV) and RINA in Italy. Both are members of IACS.
IACS, is a London-based organization consists of 12 member societies, which primary focus is to promote high standards in shipping safety and pollution prevention.
The entire fleet of the Cokaliong shipping empire is currently serving a total of 14 port of calls, these are — Calbayog (Manguino-o), Cebu, Dapitan, Dumaguete, Iligan, Iloilo, Jagna, Maasin, Masbate, Nasipit, Ozamis, Palompon, Surigao and its newest route, Cagayan de Oro.