LITE Shipping Corp., will launch its brand new vessel mv Lite Ferry Seven on Saturday, April 22, 2023.
Built in China and completed in 2022, mv Lite Ferry Seven is a 72-meter-long coastwise roll-on roll-off ferry that has a gross register tonnage of 2,450 tons. It can accommodate 300 passengers, 18 10-wheeler trucks and 10 cars.
It is classed by RINA of Italy and has standard and tourist class accommodations with above Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) standards on passageways and bed bunks accommodation.
The Marina has granted the vessel pioneering status in the routes of Oslob, Cebu to Dapitan City and Dipolog City.
The grand launch and blessing of the vessel will be graced by Sen. Raffy Tulfo at the Port of Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Tulfo will be joined by Marina Administrator Atty. Hernani Fabia, Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado and Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap.
Lite Ferries operates one of the youngest fleets in the country, with almost half of the fleet acquired brand new and one-fourth of the fleet below 20 years of age upon acquisition. This was the result of the company’s re-fleeting program over the past 10 years, said Lucio Lim, president and chief executive officer of Lite Shipping Corp., in a statement.
Lite Ferries is now connecting the island of Bohol to the rest of the country, operating in 32 destinations in the provinces of Sorsogon, Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Siquijor, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte as part of the Philippine nautical highway.
The company is a member of the Philippine Coastwise Shipping Association Inc., the largest shipping association in the Philippines and the biggest in terms of total gross tonnage of ships combined. It represents 50 members with more than 600 vessels from small to medium in size.