SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Three newly-built bulk carriers were unveiled last Friday by Hanjin Heavy Industries Corporation-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) during a vessel-naming ceremony held at its shipyard in this freeport.
The event, which was attended by Vice President Jejomar Binay, marked the first time for Hanjin to name three newly-built vessels one after another.
The naming ceremony was also attended by Zambales governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., shipping conglomerate CMB Group managing director Marc Saverys, Bocimar International managing director Benoit Timmermans, and Delphis NV managing director Alexander Saverys.
Catherine Cauwe, Michele Lyttle and Florence Zajac served as sponsors of the three vessels.
The vessels, which were named M/V Mineral Manila, M/V Mineral Subic and M/V Lake Dolphin, each has a capacity of 180,000 deadweight tons and a net tonnage of 59,082 tons.
All three are 292 meters long, 45 meters wide and 24.75 meters deep. M/V Mineral Manila was purchased by Bocimar International, while M/V Mineral Subic and M/V Lake Dolphin were acquired by Delphis NV.
Both companies are subsidiaries of CMB Group, a conglomerate based in Belgium with high stakes in shipping.
In his keynote address, Binay said that the naming of three new ships built in Subic is proof of the country’s progress in shipbuilding.
“Today’s ceremony is a concrete manifestation of how far the domestic shipbuilding industry has advanced and how it is making a mark in our national development,” he stated.
Binay noted that it was only a few years back that the government made the decisive step in creating the legal environment to let foreign investors invest in joint ventures with local shipyards.
He also noted that the aggressive programs initiated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority complemented government efforts in moving the local shipping industry toward the right direction.
“By the end of 2010, it was projected that the Philippines will have ranked fourth in the world in ship building.
This is a great achievement for developing countries like the Philippines, as compared to those industrialized nations that have long been prominent in ship construction,” he said.
“By the manner in which HHIC-Phil Inc. is accelerating shipbuilding, we probably expect another major leap forward in the industrial development of the country,” Binay further noted.
For his part, HHIC-Phil president Jin Kyu Ahn praised the good partnership between HHIC-Phil and CMB Group, stressing the trust and confidence that the shipping conglomerate gave to the shipbuilder even in the midst of a global economic recession.
“This gesture of great confidence by CMB Group on Hanjin has motivated us to work even harder to be innovative in terms of technology and manpower investment,” Jin said, as he announced that the CMB Group made additional orders of one 180,000-tonner bulk carrier, three 205,000-tonner bulk carriers, and four 3.800-tonner TEU container carriers.
Jin also thanked the continued support and patronage of all stakeholders and the Philippine government, and assured everyone that HHIC-Phil will continue to cooperate with buyers and classification societies in the field of new technologies in order to meet buyer demands on international standards.
“With all your continued support, including that of various agencies of the Philippine government, Hanjin will keep on achieving milestones in shipbuilding, thereby permanently placing the Philippines on the map of the world’s top shipbuilders,” he said.
Since it started its operation here in 2006, HHIC-Phil has already delivered 20 vessels to foreign clients and has orders booked until 2013. Its Subic shipyard has the two largest drydocks in the world and currently employs 22,000 skilled workers.
