SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – China’s leading clean energy service provider JOVO Group Company Ltd. Guangdong will start its ship-to-ship (STS) operations in Subic Bay for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Lawyer Wilma Eisma, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator, said the SBMA Board of Directors has approved the STS operations of JOVO in Subic Bay and preparations for the maiden voyage tentatively scheduled on the third week of April is in the progress.
“We are expecting more STS operators to use Subic Bay as their hub. Because it is more cost-effective due to its strategic location,” Eisma said.
The STS transfer operations involve mother vessels loaded with LNG which were transferred to vessels before shipping to ports of China.
SBMA Seaport General Manager Jerome Martinez said JOVO will bring LNG to the Philippines from Australia and Indonesia using a 94,000-ton mother vessel.
While anchored, it will be transferred to smaller 47,000-tonnage feeder vessels and bring them to China.
With this development, it is expected that the Port of Subic will earn USD500,000 revenue from services, including tug boat services, port services and anchorage, chandlers, bunkering and food supplies.
Aside from JOVO, Martinez said that three more ship-to-ship service providers have expressed keen interest to operate in Subic Bay.
“There are actually four proponents of ship-to-ship operations that submitted letters of intent to operate here in Subic Bay,” Martinez said.
“They already presented their proposals to a committee, headed by SBMA director Cecille Bitare, which evaluates STS proposals prior to approval of the board,” he added. (PNA) RAV