A new shipping company is set to cater to passengers travelling between Cebu City and Bohol, particularly the town of Clarin, using a newly built lightweight vessel.
According to Horyel Alejandro, the administrative director of Evercat Asia Inc., their firm was tapped by Cordova Inter-island Shipping Lines Inc. to build a passenger vessel that can carry 130 people.
The new vessel which will be made of fibre-reinforced plastic is scheduled to be turned over to the shipping company in May, he said.
Alejandro described the boat as a “modern banca” that can carry passengers and even motorcycles.
It can travel at a maximum speed of 18 knots and traverse the distance between Cebu and Clarin in 70 minutes.
According to Alejandro, the boat was designed to be economically efficient even as fuel prices rise.
This is due to the light materials used to build the vessel, Alejandro said while assuring the public that the new seacraft is safe and environmentally friendly.
Cordova Inter-Island Shipping Lines, Inc.’s initiative to build the vessel was part of efforts to comply with a circular issued by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) pushing the phase out of wooden hull boats in passenger sea travel.
The MARINA urged boat operators to use fiber glass or steel hull boats instead, while the shipping firm has been using wooden hull boats for its existing Cordova routes. (Allen Doydora)