M/V St. Sariel, 2GO Supercat’s newest fast ferry, arrives in a port in Tagbilaran on its maiden trip on July 6, 2017 from Cebu to Bohol.
(CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
SHIPPING and logistics company 2GO has expanded its fleet of fast ferries as it banks on the growing tourism industry in Central Visayas.
M/V St. Sariel, a 300-seater passenger fast ferry is the newest addition to the company’s fleet that will serve the Cebu-Tagbilaran route.
“The market here is growing. The number of tourists is increasing by about 20 percent per year. That is huge growth,” Angelito Salvio, Supercat general manager, told reporters during the ferry’s maiden voyage last Thursday.
Tourist arrivals in the region grew by 29.17 percent to 5.95 million in 2016 from 4.6 million one year before.
Of this figure, Cebu registered a 25.63-percent growth to 4.17 million last year from 3.32 million in 2015.
Bohol, on the other hand, clocked in a 66.07-percent growth to one million tourists in 2016 from 602,257 a year prior.
Since Cebu is the launchpad to the rest of the region, the Visayas, and Mindanao, connectivity between the province and its neighbors is deemed critical.
Before the launch of the newest ship, Supercat only had one regular vessel servicing the route while another was “on and off.”
“We had six regular trips before, but now we’re up to 18 trips,” said Salvio.
Last June, Supercat also inaugurated M/V St. Camael, which serves the Cebu-Ormoc route.
Today, the fastcraft service now has eight vessels serving the ports of Batangas, Calapan, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, Tagbilaran, and Ormoc.
Around 70 percent of passengers on the Cebu-Bohol route are locals while 30 percent are foreign tourists, mostly Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese.
The two vessels, which cost P250 million each, were built in Balamban by Filipino engineers under the supervision of Australian shipbuilder Austal.
“We’re still the largest shipping lines in the Philippines. Growing in certain sectors is very important for us,” said Mark Parco, executive assistant to the President and Chief Executive Officer of 2GO’s shipping business.