SHIP UPDATE | Starhorse Shipping Lines launches its new Lucena-Masbate-Calbayog and v.v. Route

One of the leading Southern Luzon-based shipping companies: Starhorse Shipping Lines, Inc. launches its newest route: Lucena-Masbate-Calbayog and v.v. Route and will be having its maiden voyage today January 12 2022 in Lucena City The vessel that will be used in this route is the M/V Virgen de Penafrancia X. She has a service speed …

Maasin Port Is An “Anomaly” And So Is The City

Maasin City as a provincial capital of Southern Leyte is an ''anomaly" but this is in no way meant to insult it and its people. But there is no other provincial capital in the country where the capital is the last and furthermost locality. And that becomes a problem for the people of its towns on …

The MV Isla Simara Is Now In San Bernardino Strait

The MV  Isla Simara of Shogun Shipping was presented to the local media a few days ago in Pier 6 of NorthPort (the old North Harbor) before she departed where the controversial and untrue claim as the first RORO built by Pinoys was issued. The owners also claimed that the ship has the longest ramp …

The Weird Classification of Dr. Myrna S. Austria of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Passenger Routes From Manila and Cebu

In 2003, Dr. Myrna S. Austria published a paper on domestic shipping competition in the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) with a base data in the year 1998. I find her paper very erroneous starting from the data which misses a lot of shipping companies because simply put some shipping companies never bother to …

Denica Lines

This small shipping company probably won't be much heard outside Bicol and they might be small but they also carry some weight and they won't topple easily. Alternately, the vessels of Denica Lines are also listed under the owner Carolyn Cua Sy-Reyes. The home port of Denica Lines is Pilar, Sorsogon and they are among …

The Early Years of William Lines

Among the major liner companies, I found William Lines Incorporated striking in some ways. First, in their early days they were very loyal to the former “FS” ships as in they were operating no other type in their first 20 years. Others like Bisaya Land Transport was also like that but they were not a …

If Only Cokaliong Shipping Lines Would Use the Filipinas Nasipit in the Cebu-Batangas Route

For me, the Filipinas Nasipit which was the former Taiko is striking in two ways. One is its sleek design that is beautiful to behold. She looks modern and fast, which she is. And that brings us to the second striking characteristic of Filipinas Nasipit – her design speed is high at 21.5 knots which …

The Sea Connections of Camiguin and the Ferries From Balingoan

Camiguin, which is a medium-sized island off the coast of northern Misamis and which lies south of Bohol is a province that was once part of the province of Misamis Oriental before it became a separate province in the 1970's. Camiguin was once a prosperous island and even more prosperous than Cagayan de Misamis during …

The Trucks and The Completion of the South Road Sank the Passenger-Cargo Ships to Bicol

Shipping Guide of Philippine Herald of Dec. 10, 1938 from Gorio Belen In the past there were passenger-cargo ships from Manila whose route were ports in the Bicol peninsula. It was numerous before the war because in that period the Bicol Line of the railways was not yet connected to the South Line (it was …

The Bogo Connection to Masbate

Photo credits: Philippine Herald and Gorio Belen In the old days, the Cebu connection to Masbate went from Cebu port. And among those that provided that connection were liner companies whose ships pass by Masbate first before heading to Cebu and northern Mindanao and from there their liners will retrace back the route. That is …