Chelsea ties up with Japan firm for shipbuilding

MANILA, Philippines — Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. has partnered with Fukuoka Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. for the construction of a passenger ship.

The shipbuilding agreement covers the construction of a 123-meter roll on-roll off passenger ship. The two parties signed the agreement last week.

The passenger ferryship, which can carry a total of 1,085 passengers, 24 buses, and 11 trucks, is scheduled to be delivered in June 2021.

Chelsea president and chief executive officer Chryss Alfonsus Damuy said the company’s thrust is to improve the country’s shipping and logistics industry.

“Our thrust of improving the shipping and logistics industry, together with Fukuoka’s more than seven decades of shipbuilding expertise, will allow us to accommodate the growing number of passengers in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, while employing a significant number of Filipinos onboard.

We are certain that we can count on Fukuoka’s leadership and look forward to joining hands with them as we continuously create long-term value for our stakeholders,” Damuy said.

Present at the signing ceremony were Damuy, Chelsea chairman Dennis Uy,  Fukuoka president Keiji Tanaka and Far East Engineering Consultant Co. Ltd. president Tsuneki Yoshida.

Fukuoka has a history of partnership with Philippine shipping companies.

Last month, Chelsea partnered with Kumiai Senpaku Co. Ltd., one of the largest independent shipping companies in Japan, to finance the construction and acquisition of the latest passenger vessel of Starlite Ferries Inc.

Starlite Ferries is wholly owned subsidiary of Chelsea.

Under the partnership, Kumiai will finance the construction of the 98-meter passenger ferry with Hull S-1191 that would be built by Kegoya Dock Co. Ltd. at its shipyard in Hiroshima, Japan.

Chelsea Logistics is a listed shipping and logistics company in the Philippines.

Established on  Aug. 26, 2016, Chelsea was created to act as the holding company of the shipping and logistics arm business segments of the Udenna Group of Companies.

 On Aug. 8, 2017, the company went public and its shares of stock were initially listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange.