ABOITIZ-owned FBMA Marine Inc. in Balamban, Cebu will deliver in a few weeks its first export this year.
FBMA has completed a 70-meter car and passenger ferry for Pentland Ferries of United Kingdom. The ferry, which is of catamaran type with steel hulls, will reportedly be used in northern Scotland.
The vessel, dubbed Pentalina, “is designed for the rough waters and large waves in the northern part of Scotland,” said FBMA marketing manager Craig Patrick.
Delivery of the Pentalina is scheduled in the next six to seven weeks, when it will set sail from the Philippines to Scotland for 28 to 34 days, Patrick said.
He said the total investment for the vessel is estimated to be at $10 million to $15 million.
The new liner will replace an older car ferry in northern Scotland and meets all the regulations imposed by United Kingdom (UK) authorities, he said.
Contract
The vessel has a service speed of 15 knots and can accommodate up to 350 passengers, nine trucks and 58 cars.
FBMA and Pentland Ferries sealed a contract on Feb. 14, 2007 for the building of the Pentalina, which uses aluminum as a superstructure.
Patrick said officials from the Maritime Coast Guard Agency in the UK, who visited FBMA’s facility in Balamban four times, lauded the craftsmanship of Cebuano workers.
During the ship’s launching yesterday at the FBMA shipyard, Andrew Banks, owner of Pentland Ferries, described Pentalina as the “first of its kind in Scotland.”
Mary Geraldine Polanco-Onganon, FBMA assistant vice president for human resource-branding, said about 250 workers—welders, pipe-fitters and fabrication marine
electricians, among others—worked on the Pentalina for 15 months.
Skilled workers
Onganon said that while FBMA is adversely affected by the exodus of skilled workers to Australia, the company has invested on an in-house training center to develop potential workers.
The company’s efforts to enhance its pool of skilled workers have strengthened the confidence of FBMA’s clients, Patrick said.
He revealed that the company has orders for three more vessels for clients in England and New Caledonia.
The England-based client has ordered two vessels with expected delivery in June 2009, while that for New Caledonia is targeted for August this year.
Patrick said this indicates bullishness in the shipbuilding industry and a huge opportunity for Cebuanos.
FBMA has been operating a 76,000-square meter shipyard in Balamban since 1997. It has delivered more than 22 high-speed ferries and patrol boats to clients in Mexico, Korea, Ausralia and the UK.
The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001-certified company employs 500 people. (MMM)
