Chelsea allots $142 M for new RORO vessels

MANILA, Philippines — Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. (CLC) of businessman Dennis Uy is aggressively expanding its fleet, spending about $142 million to add more brand-new RORO (roll-on/roll-off) passenger ships in the next two years.

CLC president and chief executive officer Chryss Alfonsus Damuy said the company would have six new vessels on top of the brand new M/V Salve Regina RORO vessel inaugurated last Friday.

“Two vessels will be delivered every year. Another vessel will be coming in by November. Another within the first quarter of next year, the same size as this. Six months after, we will receive another one which is twice bigger than this. Then another one that size also, and the other two that will be far bigger than the second size,” Damuy said.

Damuy said a ship with the same size as its brand-new RORO passenger vessel costs around $13 million to $14 million, depending on the configuration.

Meanwhile, he said the two bigger-sized variants it has ordered would cost around $20 million and $30 million per ship, respectively.

M/V Salve Regina can accommodate more than 500 passengers and 41 vehicles and is the first brand-new RORO passenger ship to service the Batangas-Caticlan route.

Damuy said the new vessels are expected to replace vessels that would soon be phased out, as well as serve new routes like Batangas-Iloilo and Batangas-Bacolod, among others.

“There is a number of routes that is underserved or served by vessels that is due for phase out,” he said.

“In the next five years, around seven to eight vessels in our fleet will be phased out. That is why the new vessels will replace the ones that will be phased out, and serve the expansion to other new routes,” Damuy said.

Aside from its brand-new RORO passenger ship, CLC on Friday also inaugurated the $35 million M/T Chelsea Providence, 183.3-meter long medium-range oil tanker that can carry up to 54 million liters of petroleum.

Damuy said the M/T Chelsea Providence would support local oil companies in the importation
of various petroleum products and in ensuring a reliable supply of fuel for the country.

He said the ship should start sailing within the month once all documentation requirements are completed.

CLC’s fleet is currently comprised of 88 ships, which include 16 tankers, 22 RoPax, 11 cargo vessels and 14 tugboats through Chelsea Shipping, Starlite Ferries, Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. and Fortis Tugs. In addition, its investee 2GO Group Inc. operates eight RoPax vessels, five cargo vessels, and 11 fastcrafts.