Quo vadis, Philippine maritime industry?
(Lastoftwoparts) THE first part of this two-part series, narrated the viewpoint, as to why Philippines has not been recognized as a maritime power in the world.
The last part of this series aims to rebuild our maritime consciousness and revive the heritage of our ancestors.
The Philippine shipping industry, in retrospect
The Filipino seamanship skills are undeniably innate in our blood. The bodies of water surrounding our country manifest that we are maritime people. Filipinos are world-class boat builders even during the pre-colonial times. And the discovery of Balangay showed that our ancestors boarded this oldest seafaring vessel and sailed to places as far as Polynesia and Madagascar.
The Balangay was the first wooden vessel that was excavated in the Southeast Asia. The early migrants in the Philippines used this watercraft.
Balangay is a plank boat adjoined by a carved-out plank edged through pins and dowels. It was first mentioned in the 16th Century in the Chronicles of Pigafetta, and is known as the oldest watercraft found in the Philippines. The oldest known balangay has been carbon-dated to 320 AD.
Our colorful history showed the Filipino’s capability and ingenuity in building ships so we must continue harnessing our capabilities for the future.
Centuries after the inception of Balangay, international vessels began plying the Philippine seas. Some of the known shipping companies were Madrigal Lines, Compania Maritima, Ledesma Shipping Lines, and the United Philippine Lines (UPL).
The ships transported goods to and from countries around the world. Shipping business experienced strong growth that brought in additional revenues to the government coffers.
The Compania Maritima is one of the most famous shipping companies in Cebu and the biggest shipping company in the country. Founded in 1910, Maritima owned the biggest ships at that time that sailed in the western and southern Mindanao.
Most of the ships deployed in the southern Mindanao were former “FS” ships, the small cargo ships of the US Army during the World War II.
To service the Mindanao routes, Compania Maritima deployed former passenger-cargo ships from Europe. There was a whale of difference between those ships owned by Maritima and the former “FS” ships. The extra cargo space and the speed of vessels matter a lot for shippers and passengers. Shippers preferred larger vessels than smaller cargo ships, because smaller vessels were susceptible to inclement weather.
Compania Maritima was located in Fernandez Building, a place occupied by the Shamrock Hotel during the pre-war years. The building’s internal structure and roof were destroyed during the liberation of Cebu City in 1945. The company’s hollow building structure with beautiful arcs and balusters situated in a highway beside the sea was the only thing that can be seen nowadays.
Madrigal Lines- The Madrigal Shipping Company has a long and vibrant history. The company was established before the World War II under the name Madrigal & Company. It was the Philippines’ biggest Filipino -owned shipping company at that time.
Madrigal concentrated on cargo shipping while the rival Compania Maritima owned by the Fernandez family focused on passage business.
Vicente Madrigal, the founder of the shipping company was considered the top Filipino industrialist-businessman and probably the richest Filipino. He had strong political connections in Malacanang being a Senator of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
Its shipping company supported the Madrigal’s businesses by transporting goods like abaca (Manila hemp), coal, ore, copra and sugar.
However, during the World War II, the Madrigal Shipping Company lost its fleet of vessels, and saved one. Most of the ships were captured by the Japanese troops, which subsequently lost due to American attacks. The company revived its shipping business in 1946.
Madrigal Shipping owned passengercargo ships and pure cargo vessels. Passenger ships serviced the routes in Bicol and Northern Luzon. The ships transported passengers to Larap port in Jose Panganiban town in Camarines Norte and in Salomague in Ilocos Sur, Batanes and Aparri.
The passenger-cargo ships sailed from Manila to Northern Luzon, then to Bicol ports including Sorsogon and back to Manila.
Ledesma Shipping Lines is a company that owned the MV Don Julio, the first fast cruise liner built in 1950s. It was actually the fastest liner in the 1950’s, until it was sold to Southern Lines in 1959.
The first “Don Julio” ship was an ex-”FS” ship. The ship was converted and was lengthened in Hongkong to become a passenger- cargo ship. The vessel was re- engined into higher ratings, with a speed of over 17 knots, making it the fastest ship of its time. Two former diesel engines from submarines, which were Fairbanks-Morse diesels with a combined 3,600-horse power, were fitted to the said ship. The vessel was originally the “FS-286” built by Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
The converted ship had a length of 66.2 meters by 10.0 meters, it was 1,051 gross register tonnage (GRT) and said to be the biggest former ex-”FS” ship that sailed in the country. Its new owner, Philippine Pioneer Lines, then renamed the ship as “Pioneer Leyte,” Pioneer Leyte was destroyed due to the collision incident in Manila Bay on October 23, 1966.
(The author gives credits to The Manila Chronicle, Phil. Ship Spotters Society, Urban Ghost and Gorio Belen for the historical info.)