Fastcraft to ply Cebu-Mactan route

Officials from the different government agencies agreed yesterday to hold on March 5 a dry run for the fastcraft trip between Cebu City and Mactan Island.

Cebu Coast Guard Station Commander Agapito Bibat said the trip of OceanJet 11 owned by Ocean Fast Ferries Inc. is expected to help solve the traffic congestion once the repair of the first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge will be in full swing.

The route will be from Pier 1 in Cebu City to Cebu Yacht in Lapu-Lapu City and vice versa. The dry run is slated at 10 a.m.
Personnel from the Cebu Coast Guard, Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Cebu Port Authority, other agencies and the members of the media will join the dry run, Bibat added.

Bibat said the proposed fare is at P80 but this is still subject for approval by MARINA.

Vanessa Lua, Ocean Jet general manager, said the vessel can accommodate 100 to 200 passengers.

The rates, speed, number of trips in a day, and total number of vessels Ocean Jet will send out will be determined on the day of the dry run, Lua added.

Though the trip is for everybody who wanted to go to Mactan Island and vice versa, but the main targets are the passengers for the Mactan Cebu International Airport and the workers for the Mactan Export Zone (MEZ).

MARINA Spokesperson Jose Cabatingan said they are expecting the application for special permit from Lite Shipping on Friday.

Engineer Fernando Inting, Chief Operating Officer of Lite Shipping, said they have two barges prepared to ferry trucks and other smaller vehicles to avoid traffic between Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City.

Inting told CDN that each barge can accommodate seven 10-wheeler trucks and two to three smaller vehicles and it can also ferry people.

The docking areas for vehicle-carrying barges are initially the Ouano Wharf in Mandaue City and the Kasamahan Wharf in Lapu-Lapu City.