Subic services 37 ships under crew-change program

Two months after joining the government’s crew-change program, the Port of Subic has serviced a total of 37 ships and enabled more than 500 mostly Filipino seafarers to either take badly-needed rest or renew work aboard commercial vessels.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the crew-change program is a direct response to President Duterte's call that no one should be left behind in government efforts to ensure the safety of all Filipinos and provide assistance to vulnerable groups in face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We understand that crew change is necessary for the health and safety of seafarers,” Eisma said. “And considering that around 80,000 Filipino seafarers with lapsed contracts are stranded aboard their ships, there is a lot to be done to ensure movement among seafarers, especially Filipinos, during this humanitarian and economic crisis.”

Subic started operations as a crew-change hub on September 10 with the arrival here of five Filipino seafarers who were stranded for about three months aboard MV Dapeng Star, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker based in Hong Kong.

Since then, One Stop Shop (OSS) Subic, the inter-agency task force which manages the Subic crew-change operations, has recorded a total of 260 “off-signers”, or inbound ship crew, and 255 “on-signers”, or outbound seafarers, as of Monday, November 9.

Of the total 515 seafarers who either arrived or departed in Subic under the program, only 24—or 12 on-signers and 12 off-signers—were foreigners.

Ships of all shapes and sizes have arrived here for crew-change. These included MV RTM Cook, a bulk carrier based in Singapore, with seven Filipino on-signers and 11 off-signers; LNG Dapeng Moon, a tanker based in Hong Kong, with five Filipino on-signers; MV Mindoro, a Panama-flagged vehicles carrier with three on-signers and two off-signers, all Filipino; MT Jason, a chemical tanker from Marshall Islands with 12 Filipino on-signers, and one Croatian and 13 Filipino off-signers; MT Euro Integrity, a Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker with 15 on-signers and 16 off-signers, all Filipino; and MV Nine Eagle, a Panama-flagged livestock carrier with five on-signers and five off-signers, all Filipino.

SBMA Seaport Department manager Jerome Martinez, meanwhile, stressed that OSS Subic has laid out strict health and safety protocols for the program, with all outbound and inbound seafarers undergoing RTC-PCR testing prior to departure from Subic or upon arrival at the Subic Bay International Airport.

“In case an on-signer tests positive, he is brought back point-to-point to Manila where he was swab-tested. Meanwhile, upon disembarking, off-signers are brought directly to the Subic-OSS for swab testing, after which they are transported to an isolation facility in Manila,” Martinez explained.

He added that in the two months period that crew-change has been undertaken in Subic, only one positive case among seafarers has been recorded.

Seafarers have been designated “key workers” by many countries, including the Philippines, which belong to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to enable them to travel to and from ships and ensure the operation of commercial vessels.

The IMO said that commercial ships now transport more than 80% of global trade by volume, including vital food and medicine, energy and raw materials, as well as manufactured goods. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] Inbound seafarers from MV Devon Bay, all clad in personal protective equipment, await transportation upon arrival at the Subic Bay Freeport on November 6.

[2] A sanitation worker disinfects baggage, as inbound seafarers from MV Devon Bay await transportation upon arrival at the Subic Bay Freeport on November 6.

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SBMA statement on imported wastes discovered at Subic Bay Freeport

Last Saturday, October 17, 2020, the Bureau of Customs at the Port of Subic raised an alert over two shipments consisting of 30 container vans declared to be containing old corrugated cartons for re-pulping. The shipments were transported from the United States via the container ship Ever Lyric and consigned to Bataan 2020, Inc., a paper manufacturer with a mill in Samal, Bataan.

The alert was based on information from the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that said shipments are suspected to be in violation of R.A. 10863, or An Act Modernizing the Customs and Tariff Administration, in relation to DERNR Administrative Order 2013-22 (Revised Procedures and Standards for the Management of Hazardous Wastes).

After initial examination of five container vans, BOC-Subic declared that “the shipment revealed prohibited waste materials which were illegally imported.” BOC-Subic said it will undertake further inventory “to ascertain the volume and actual contents of the shipment.”

As manager of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) vehemently denounces this apparent attempt to smuggle waste materials into the country and likewise deplores the use of the Subic Bay Freeport as a transit point for this illegal trade.  

It was just last year — on May 31, 2019 — that we successfully banished from our shores 69 garbage-laden containers from Canada, of which 67 had stayed here in Subic in their putrid condition for several years. We don’t want that sordid chapter in our history to happen again.

We join all concerned government agencies in vigilance against illegal importations and urge that those found involved in this unlawful activity be properly prosecuted.

We cannot, and should not, condone the dumping of wastes from any country into our shores.

WILMA T. EISMA

SBMA Chairman and Administrator

October 22, 2020

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DOTr holds dry run to test Subic crew-change protocols

 The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday conducted a dry run in the point-to-point embarkation and debarkation of seafarers in preparation for the proposed activation of the Port of Subic as a crew-change hub.

The practice run held at the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) complex involved departure and arrival procedures at the former Hanjin ferry landing near the airport, using tugboats to transport the crew to and from ships at anchorage.

Meanwhile, the more complex arrival procedure was simulated at the Subic airport terminal where new arrivals would undergo the required swab test, have their documents processed at a one-stop-shop, and thereafter proceed to a mandatory quarantine facility.

In the test run, DOTr officials gave assurances on the safety of the procedures and said the crew-change protocols to be implemented here are the best practices in the maritime sector.

“The system we are implementing has incorporated lessons we have learned from earlier activities,” said Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson, who is DOTr assistant secretary for communications and commuter affairs.

“During the mass repatriation of seafarers from cruise ships, there were steps that have already been corrected to ensure that health will not be compromised – for the workers and the seafarers. To be able to check this, we have involved all parties, national and local government and agencies,” Vingson added.

 

The simulations on Friday were witnessed by representatives of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), local government units (LGUs) around the Subic Bay Freeport, and other agencies involved in the project.

Feedback from LGU representatives present in Friday’s dry run focused mostly on local workers who might be exposed to Covid-19 infection during crew-change operations, a concern raised earlier by SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

Eisma said that Subic is willing to host the crew-change hub project, but stressed that safety measures should be in place in all phases of the project and that LGUs should be consulted in all aspects because workers who would man crew-change facilities will come from communities contiguous to Subic.

So far, Eisma said, the SBMA board of directors had only approved the first phase of the project, which involves the point-to-point embarkation of seafarers, pending local consensus on the second phase which involves the quarantine of arriving crewmen in hotels within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

In the dry run, DOTr Undersecretary Raul Del Rosario, who is administrator of the Office for Transport Security (OTS), pointed out that the one-stop-shop system would not allow direct exposure between seafarers and processors who would be coming from the Bureau of Quarantine, and that no airport staff would be directly involved in the crew-change operation.

Regarding phase two, Del Rosario said the safety requirements of LGUs “can be met easily because they have already been included in the protocols.” 

“All hotel workers will be housed. They will be quarantined for 14 days before being allowed to go home,” he added.

Del Rosario also said that in order to ensure transparency of crew-change operations, LGUs will be represented in the one-stop-shop monitoring team, which will be given updates and reports on a regular basis.

The activation of Subic as crew-change hub is national government undertaking involving the DOTr as lead agency, and supported by the Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Interior and Local Government, the SBMA, and other government agencies. 

The project seeks to implement the so-called Philippine Green Lane to facilitate the speedy and safe travel of seafarers, including their safe and swift crew change during the Covid-19 pandemic.  (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1-] “Outbound seafarers” arrive at the Subic ferry landing for ship embarkation during a crew-change dry run conducted by the Department of Transportation at the Subic Bay Freeport on Friday, Aug. 14.

[2] “Outbound seafarers” ride a tugboat to embark on a ship during a crew-change dry run. 

[3] “Inbound seafarers” undergo swabbing and processing of documents. 

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LNG ship-to-ship transfer resumes in Subic, but ship crew won’t disembark

 

Ship-to-ship transfer operations of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has resumed in Subic Bay with the arrival here of a tanker over the weekend, but the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said the ship crew won’t be allowed to disembark due to health protocols observed in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the agency has made it clear that the officers and crew of LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth, a tanker that will transfer her LNG cargo to smaller feeder ships, would remain on board all throughout the two-week operation. 

“No one from the ship can be allowed to come ashore, sadly not even the 16 Filipinos among the 31 crew members, because of the health measures we must observe,” Eisma said.

The same policy will be implemented for the crew members of feeder vessels that will transport the LNG cargo from LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth to ports in China, she added.

Eisma described the resumption of LNG ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operations in Subic as a “welcome boost to the economy” but stressed that health safety should be a paramount concern for both ship and port personnel.

According to SBMA seaport manager Jerome Martinez, LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth, which has a gross tonnage of 95,753 tons, has a carrying capacity of 142,800 cubic meters of liquid gas.

He said the Bermudan-flagged carrier originated from Qatar and dropped by at a Hong Kong port to pick up three mooring masters before proceeding to Subic.

The ship is expected to stay at anchor here until August 15 for STS operations.

Martinez also confirmed that no one among the crew would be allowed to disembark from the ship for any reason while it is in the Port of Subic.

He said that aside from the 16 Filipino crewmen, 15 other foreign nationals are on board the vessel. These include nine Greeks, two Croatians, two Ukrainians, a Romanian, and a Latvian.

Martinez also noted that upon arrival at the anchorage area outside of the bay, a team from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) immediately boarded the tanker for health inspections and safety protocols, and followed by a boarding party composed of personnel from the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and Bureau of Immigration (BoI).

Following LNG/C Methane Shirley Elisabeth, another LNG carrier, the Singaporean-flagged LNG/C Lerici, will also conduct ship-to-ship (STS) transfer in Subic.

Eisma said the same health and safety protocols will be imposed by Subic authorities for Lerici’s STS operation. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:  

The LNG carrier Methane Shirley Elisabeth

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50% of Subic Freeport firms now operational

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has approved the operation of close to 900 companies doing core business activities and providing essential services following the shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) on Monday, June 1. 

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the Subic agency lately gave the green light to 14 companies under GCQ rules, thus bringing the total number of open businesses here to 868. 

Most of those allowed to operate under various levels of quarantine are manufacturers of export products, producers and suppliers of food and medicine, those involved in logistics operation, and utility operators, Eisma added. 

Prior to this, the SBMA allowed 568 firms to remain open when the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) took effect on March 16, and then approved the reopening of 286 more companies after Subic transitioned to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) on May 16. 

“The total number of locators that are now allowed to operate is just half of the 1,648 enterprises registered in Subic, but we are expecting more reopening in the coming weeks, as more qualified companies comply with minimum safety protocols specified under government guidelines,” Eisma said.  

“But we have to remind everybody that we don’t allow companies to just open—even if they are qualified to open under Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines—without first passing compliance assessment by the SBMA,” the Subic Freeport chief added. 

Eisma explained the assessment entails an ocular inspection by SBMA health and safety officials, as well as the Incident Management Team, which coordinates the agency’s Covid-19 response program, and is based on guidelines on workplace prevention and control of Covid-19 issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). 

Among the requirements for submission is the company’s Personnel Deployment Plan (PDP), which takes into consideration social distancing in the workplace. 

Meanwhile, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Kenneth Rementilla said that IATF guidelines categorized industries into four groups: 100% or full operational capacity; 50% up to full operational capacity; 50% work-on-site arrangements, work-from-home, and other alternative work arrangement; and not allowed to operate. 

All applications for reopening by Freeport companies is checked against the SBMA Business and Investment Group’s consolidated list of locators that listed the firms under the four categories, Rementilla added. 

The industries that broadly fall under Category I, which allowed full operational capacity, are: agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; manufacturing and processing plants; hospitals, medical clinics, and health clinics; retail establishments; laundry shops; food preparation establishments and water-refilling stations; logistics service providers; delivery services; power, energy, water, information technology and telecommunications supplies and facilities; electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply services.

Also allowed for full operation are those engaged in water collection, treatment and supply; waste collection, treatment and disposal activities, and materials recovery; sewerage, pest control, garbage collection and disposal, sewer maintenance and treatment; repair and installation of machinery and equipment; real estate activities; telecommunications; energy companies, and contractors and service providers; gasoline stations; construction work accredited by the Department of Public Works and Highways; manufacturing companies and supplies of equipment or products necessary to perform construction works; and media establishments. 

Meanwhile, those in Category IV which are not allowed to operate include: gyms, fitness studios and sports facilities; entertainment and amusement industries; libraries, museums, and other cultural centers; tourist destinations; travel agencies, tour operators, reservation service; gambling and betting stations; personal care services; and any other leisure establishments that promote mass gathering. 

Under GCQ, the SBMA relaxed access to the Freeport as more business locators resumed operation, but Chairman Eisma said strict health and safety measures against the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will remain in force. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Bird's-eye view of SBFZ's port and industrial areas. Close to 900 companies doing core business activities and providing essential services are now operating in the Freeport, following the shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) on Monday, June 1. (MPD-SBMA)

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No more cruise ships to dock in Subic in next two months, says SBMA

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said that no more cruise ships will dock in Subic in the next two months following the spread of novel coronavirus.

“Right now there’s no need to ban them because there’s nobody coming. They have already cancelled, all the ship liners have already given us feedback that they are not coming from February until March,” said SBMA chairperson and administrator Wilma Eisma on CNN Philippines Newsroom.

The statement came after the mayor of Olongapo City appealed to SBMA to temporarily stop accepting cruise ships until the virus is contained.

Earlier, the Philippine Coast Guard cleared the World Dream Cruise Ship from Hong Kong, which carried over 700 passengers and was supposed to proceed to a trip to Zambales tonight.

Another ship declared safe, “MV Ligulao” from Lianyungang, Jiangsu in China arrived on Monday and was set to leave Tuesday afternoon.

Eisma said that the World Dream Cruise Ship will go back to Hong Kong instead after a meeting with government officials and the Genting Cruise Lines, the company that owns the said ship.

“ [The World Dream] Cruise Ship decided it would be best for everybody to go back to Hong Kong instead of heading to Subic,” she said.

There are no confirmed cases yet of the coronavirus in the country. (CNN Philippines Staff)

PHOTO:

Passengers disembarked from World Dream during the cruise ship's visit to the Subic Bay Freeport on Dec. 11. (file photo)

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/1/28/No-more-cruise-ships-until-March-SBMA-.html

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Italian cruise ship makes maiden voyage to Subic

Another cruise ship operated by the Italian firm Costa Crociere made its maiden port call in Subic Bay on Friday (Jan. 17), becoming the second cruise ship to arrive here this month as the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) predicted a surge of tourist vessels in Subic this year.

The 57,000-ton MV Costa neoRomantica followed in the wake of Asia’s biggest cruise ship, the Spectrum of the Seas, which docked in Subic on January 7 following its maiden trip here last December 27.

Costa neoRomantica is a sister ship of MV Costa Atlantica, a frequent Subic visitor, which is also operated by Costa Crociere.

The neoRomantica left the tropical port of Hainan, China on Tuesday (Jan. 14) with 1,500 passengers and 650 crew members on board and set sail for a Manila-Subic tour. The ship is expected to return to Hainan on Sunday.

As a tradition, SBMA employees and Subic Freeport residents welcomed the newly-disembarked ship passengers with a cultural show—a preview of the sights and sounds they would encounter during the Subic tour.

At the Alava Wharf where the cruise ship docked, the performing artist group Banda Kawayan also played ethnic music and Chinese songs using native instruments, while the Olongapo Drum Beaters kept up a frenetic tempo and the SBMA Brass Band played marching tunes.

Earlier, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma announced that 38 cruise ship arrivals have already been confirmed this year.

These arrivals, Eisma noted, will provide additional income to the Subic community, as well as neighboring areas that cruise passengers visit. Among the frequented destinations are Ocean Adventure, Pamulaklakin Ayta Village, and Zoobic Safari in the Subic Bay area, as well as other cultural attractions in Olongapo City and the neighboring provinces of Zambales, Bataan, and Pampanga.

In 2019, Eisma said the SBMA counted 15 cruise ship arrivals from January to October, bringing a total of 38,985 visitors that spent millions of pesos for tour buses and taxis, entertainment, food, souvenirs, and entrance fees to theme parks and resorts.

The Costa neoRomantica was formerly known as the Costa Romantica, which was built for Costa Crociere in 1993 as a sister ship to Costa neoClassica. Her public rooms are decorated with rare wood, Carrara marble, and millions of dollars in original works of art. Nine of its 11 decks were named for well-known European cities: Monte Carlo, Madrid, Vienna, Verona, Paris, London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam.

Completely renovated in 2012, Costa neoRomantica was outfitted with 111 luxurious Samsara cabins located on the highest decks. In 2017, the vessel arrived in Hong Kong to operate cruises in the Asian market, including the Philippines. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[2] Well-wishers line up Alava Wharf in the Subic Bay Freeport to welcome the arrival of MV Costa neoRomantica on Friday, Jan. 17.

[1] MV Costa neoRomantica steams toward Alava Wharf on Friday, Jan. 17, on its maiden trip to the Subic Bay Freeport.

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Subic cruise ship tourism shifts to high gear

Brighter prospects for Subic’s cruise tourism greeted the year 2020 with the arrival here on Tuesday of the colossal MV Spectrum of the Seas for its second visit in just the last two weeks.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the ship’s return trip “presages greater opportunities” for Subic and neighboring areas, as the agency ushers in the third year of its highly successful cruise tourism program, which kicked off in February 2018.

The MV Spectrum of the Seas is the first Quantum-Ultra-class cruise ship built for Royal Caribbean International, the world’s largest cruise line in terms of revenue and second largest by passenger count.

With a maximum capacity of 4,905 passengers, the ship is the biggest and the most expensive cruise ship to sail in Asia. The 348-meter, 170-ton vessel features Royal Caribbean’s first private enclave for suite guests, new stateroom categories and innovative dining concepts on top of amenities like outdoor and indoor pools, body and mind spa, fitness centre, rock-climbing wall, sports court, Splash-away bay, and an outdoor movie screen.

Eisma said that the arrival of Royal Caribbean’s top cruise liner marks the start of the second phase in Subic’s cruise ship tourism program.

“We are definitely shifting to higher gear this year” Eisma said, pointing out that the SBMA has already confirmed 38 cruise ship arrivals and two tentative bookings for 2020, as well as four confirmed arrivals and one tentative booking for 2021.

“As I have said before, this is great news for the SBMA and for the tourism stakeholders in Subic and neighboring areas. At the outset we have called for inclusivity in this undertaking, and I hope that things are really looking good for everyone now,” she added.

On Tuesday, some of the mostly Chinese and European passengers of MV Spectrum of the Seas were whisked off by buses to various local tourist attractions — from the marine and jungle theme parks in Subic Freeport o a hot spring and sand spa in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Others chose to tour Subic’s Central Business District on foot.

Eisma said the SBMA hopes to sustain this momentum with bigger ships that would bring in more income to Subic and nearby areas.
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She said that MS Spectrum of the Seas will come back for another visit on January 20, to be followed by the arrival of its sister ship MS Quantum of the Seas on February 28.

According to SBMA records, Subic received a total of 19 cruise ship visits in 2018 and 18 arrivals in 2019.

While the cruise ship tourism program has yielded less than P10 million each year in direct revenue for the SBMA Seaport Department, the indirect income earned by all the tourism stakeholders in Subic and neighboring communities were estimated to be around P83 million in 2018 and P124 million in 2019.

“If only for these, we intend to do better this year to provide better opportunities for all stakeholders involved in the Subic cruise tourism program,” Eisma said.

She added that the SBMA is in the process of upgrading maritime facilities and tourism accommodations in Subic in order to take in more cruise ships and make their visit here more economically productive to local stakeholders. (JRR/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] MV Spectrum of the Seas arrives for the second time in the Subic Bay Freeport on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

[2] SBMA employees and local artists give disembarking passengers of MV Spectrum of the Seas a warm welcome to the Subic Bay Freeport

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