New ‘Lite Ferry’ to boost inter-island travel
Inter-Island travel in Visayas and Mindanao will get a major boost after lite shipping Corp., one of Cebu’s leading shipping firms launched its latest vessel, the M/V Lite Ferry Five.
as part of lite’s fleet expansion, the vessel is a brand-new China-made 75-meter roll-on, roll-off (roro) passenger coastwise ship with a Grt of 2,895 tons and classed by the prestigious registro Italiano navale of Italy. It has wide passenger deck passageways and a spacious cargo deck that can accommodate 540 passengers and 23 10-wheeler trucks. It has a service speed of 13 to 14 knots, and can run to a maximum of 15 knots.
M/V Lite Ferry Five was granted Pioneering status Protection by the Maritime Industry authority (Marina), and will sail from Oslob to dipolog City once the dredging of its port has been completed. the route is a four-hour voyage linking southern Cebu closer to northern Mindanao, which is expected to boost tourism in the two areas.
Oslob is known for the whaleshark, sumilon
Island marine sanctuary and tumalog Falls, while dipolog is the provincial capital city of Zamboanga del norte, and the gateway to the tourist spots in the province, most notably rizal shrine, dakak Beach Park and the river cruise in neighboring dapitan City.
lite Ferries will also acquire this year its second brand-new vessel, a 70-meter China-built coastwise roro ferry, with a Grt of 2,107 tons and classed by the Bureau Veritas of France. set for deployment on a pioneering status by the Marina to the Jagna, Bohol, to Cagayan de Oro City route in early 2020, it can house 400 passengers and 17 10-wheeler trucks, and has a service speed of 12 knots.
With seven brand new vessels, including its flagship vessel M/V Lite Ferry 88, plus six vessels which were all below 20 years old upon acquisition, the firm operates one of the country’s youngest fleets.
With the thrust of “sailing Bigger, Faster and Better,” lite Ferries is a leading member of the Philippine Coastwise shipping association, the country’s largest shipping group.