SBMA suspends Hanjin sub-contractor over fatal accident

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has issued a cease and desist order (CDO) against a sub-contractor of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corporation (HHIC) (Philippines) following the death of a shipyard worker over the weekend.

According to Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department, the Subic agency has suspended the operation of the erring sub-contractor while it coordinates corrective measures with HHIC management.

The name of the sub-contractor has been withheld pending the release of official results of the investigation into the mishap.

Initial investigation report submitted to Jacalne indicated that the incident happened last Saturday, May 12, at around 3:30 p.m. on board a project vessel of the sub-contractor inside the HHIC shipyard at the Redondo Peninsula here.

Nine workers were reportedly assigned to do some work atop a scaffolding on the side of a vessel, but because of the intense heat of the sun, all nine workers sheltered under a canvas canopy.

However, one of the bolts in the scaffolding snapped, causing the platform to tip down.

Five of the workers were able to hold tight onto the platform and were later rescued. However, four others fell into the ground and sustained severe injuries.

The injured were identified as Ferdinand Leuterio, 38, a native of Leyte; Johnny Alegre, 39, from Quezon City; Gerry Bayuta, 34, of Tarlac; and Valian Dela Cruz, 39, of Zambales, all temporary residing in Castillejos, Zambales.

They were brought to Bay Pointe Hospital in the Subic Bay Freeport for further medical treatment.

However, at about 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Leuterio’s condition began deteriorating. He was later pronounced dead at around 9:00 a.m. on Monday.

Jacalne said he had ordered the sub-contractor to stop operation until the company met with the SBMA Occupational Health and Safety Division and corrective measures were put in place.

“We have to look at possible negligence, on why the accident had happened,” Jacalne said. “We have to ensure that those mistakes were corrected and would not happen again.”

Jacalne said the company had informed the SBMA that it voluntarily applied corrective actions to prevent secondary accidents, and sought close coordination with the workers’ families to give necessary assistance. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Aerial view of the shipbuilding facility of HHIC-Phils at the Redondo Peninsula in Subic Bay Freeport.

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The Philippines joins elite 20,000 TEU club

The Philippines celebrated another step towards the elite of shipbuilding with the delivery of its first 20,000 TEU class boxship.

South Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines Inc. (HHIC-Phil) recently unveiled the CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery, the first 20,600 TEU container vessel built in Subic Bay Freeport, the largest ship ever built in the Philippines and one of the biggest ships ever built in the world.

The CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery is the first of three 20,600 teu boxships that HHIC-Phil is building for France’s leading liner group.

The ship has an overall length of 400 meters, a width of 59 meters, depth of 33 meters and gross tonnage tipping at 217,673 tons.

With a deck as big as three football fields combined, the CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery is considered one of the biggest ships in the world today, HHIC-Phil officials said during the completion ceremony held at the firm’s Redondo Peninsula shipyard.

The mammoth container vessel, which was named after the French aristocrat and literary icon Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was built over a period of one and a half years, from February 8, 2016, when the first steel cutting was made, to its launching in August 19 last year.

The CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery is the first of three 20,600 TEU container ships that HHIC-Phil has committed to build for the French container transport and shipping firm CMA CGM (Compagnie Maritime d’Affrètement-Compagnie Générale Maritime, translated as Maritime Freighting Co.-General Maritime Co.).

Two other vessels of the same size and type are in advance stages of shipbuilding at Hanjin’s 326-hectare shipyard here.

The vessel completion ceremony here on Thursday was graced by noted government officials, led by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, under whose administration the Hanjin shipyard was launched.

According to HHIC-Phil President Gwang Suk Chung, the delivery of the Antoine de Saint Exupery “represents a breakthrough in global shipbuilding,” as the Korean company’s cutting-edge technology complemented by the skills of Filipino workers successfully launched vessels of higher tonnage and value.

Chung also recalled that “the intensive support of the Philippine government” gave the Korean a robust head start in the country’s shipbuilding industry.

HHIC-Phil officials said that the firm still has a number of high-value commercial vessels on order with their launchings and deliveries spread across 2018 and 2019. These include liquefied petroleum gas carriers and crude-oil carriers, among others. In January last year, the HHIC-Phil marked another milestone with the delivery of Gener8 Hector, the first “very large crude carrier” ever constructed in the Philippines. The vessel was delivered to the United States-based crude-oil shipping company Gener8 Maritime.

In her speech, Arroyo cited the $2.3-billion investment by HHIC-Phil in the Subic Bay Freeport. She also noted that the Korean firm had also built a massive training facility for local workers.

Meanwhile, SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma thanked HHIC-Phil on behalf of President Duterte, pointing out that the Hanjin shipyard had played a vital role in national economic growth.

“With the 113 ships that Hanjin has delivered since it began operations in 2007, Hanjin’s presence in the Subic Bay Freeport has made the Philippines the fourth-biggest shipbuilding nation in the world,” she said.

Eisma also urged the Korean firm to look after its Filipino workers, who are an integral part of the success of the company. “We ask you to protect our people, to look after our facilities, because Subic is our home,” she added.

Last year HHIC-Phil delivered its first VLCC. It also has LPG vessels on its orderbooks. In terms of area size, HHIC-Phil is among the very largest shipyards in the world. Its parent, Hanjin Heavy in Busan, South Korea, took the decision to expand overseas 12 years ago as its own facilities were too cramped at a time where ship sizes were growing rapidly.

Other notable shipbuilders in the Philippines are Tsuneishi and Keppel cementing the Philippines' position as the world’s fourth largest shipbuilding nation.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/hanjin-delivers-first-subic-made-20600-teu-class-container-ship/

http://splash247.com/philippines-joins-elite-20000-teu-club/

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