Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation

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Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation
Company typeShipping Line
Industry Shipping
FoundedSeptember 1, 1973;51 years ago (1973-09-01)
FounderSulpicio Go
HeadquartersDon Sulpicio Go Bldg. Sulpicio Go St. North Reclamation Area, Cebu City, Philippines
Area served
Philippines
Key people
Jordan Go (President and CEO)
ServicesPassenger sea transport (formerly), freight sea transport
Website www.spanasiacarrier.com

Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation (PSACC), formerly branded as Sulpicio Lines, Inc. (SLI, Tagalog pronunciation: [sulˈpiːʃo] ), is a major shipping line in the Philippines. [1] [2] PSACC is one of the largest domestic shipping and container companies in the Philippines in terms of the number of vessels operated and gross tonnage. The company provides inter-island cargo services throughout the major ports and cities in the Philippines.

Contents

History

Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation (PSACC) was established as Sulpicio Lines by Go Guioc So. Commonly known as Sulpicio Go, Go was a Chinese merchant from Amoy (now Xiamen) who emigrated to the Philippines in 1919 with his siblings. With his brother he set up a shipping enterprise in Eastern Visayas. [3] In 1953, Go served as the managing partner of Carlos A. Gothong Lines, Inc. [4]

Sulpicio Go established his own venture with his sons by founding Sulpicio Lines in September 1973, starting with a fleet of 17 vessels, 1 tugboat and 5 barges. [5] [6] Sulpicio Lines catered to a niche market, opening tertiary and developmental passenger routes to isolated communities in Central and Eastern Visayas. [4]

Sulpicio Lines grew to be the largest domestic shipping company in the Philippines, with a fleet of 22 passenger and cargo vessels and a market share of 20 percent of domestic sea traffic in the Philippines in 1988. [7]

The company experienced multiple marine disasters, including the 1987 sinking of the Doña Paz , [7] the sinking of the Doña Marilyn in 1988, [7] the sinking of the Princess of the Orient in 1998, and the 2008 sinking of the Princess of The Stars during the occurrence of Typhoon Fengshen (PAGASA name: Frank). In 2009, the PSACC adopted its current name discontinuing the use of "Sulpicio Lines to refer to the company. [8]

PSACC MV Span Asia 21 PSACC MV Span Asia 21.jpg
PSACC MV Span Asia 21

In January 2015, almost 7 years after the sinking of MV Princess of the Stars, the Maritime Industry Authority decided to revoke the company's certificate of public convenience (CPC), which meant that the company could no longer legally transport passengers. [9] [10]

The Court of Appeals, in a 237-page landmark decision dated June 28, 2024, written by Justice Wilhelmina Jorge-Wagan, held that Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation formerly Sulpicio Lines, Inc. was guilty of gross negligence and consequently liable for the deaths of 814 passengers and 500 missing in the 2008 MV Princess of the Stars shipwreck. In upholding the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 49's judgment, the CA ordered PSACC owners Enrique Go, Eusebio Go, Carlos Go, Victoriano Go, Dominador Go, Ricardo Go, Edward Go and Edgar Go, to pay a total of P129,854,502.57 damages to the victims' heirs, survivors, families and relatives, represented by counsel Persida Acosta. [11]

Ports of Call

Philippine Span Asia Carrier's main ports of call are the cities of Manila and Cebu. Other ports of call are:

Current Fleet

PSACC once had passenger RoRo (Roll on - Roll off) vessels. However, because of their disreputable public image after a series of ferry disasters, PSACC has been banned from carrying passengers and is currently limited to cargo shipping.

Span Asia 25 docked at the Zamboanga International Seaport Span Asia 25.jpg
Span Asia 25 docked at the Zamboanga International Seaport

Former Fleet

This list includes all of the ships that were part of Philippine Span Asia Carrier Inc. and Sulpicio Lines:

Roll on Roll off (RORO)

MV Princess of the South, the former flagship of Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation MV Princess of the South.jpg
MV Princess of the South, the former flagship of Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation

Cruisers

MV Dona Paz Dona Paz at Tacloban.jpg
MV Doña Paz

Cargo Vessels

MV Sulpicio Express Siete Sulpicio Express Siete (6007456645).jpg
MV Sulpicio Express Siete

See also

Related Research Articles

MV <i>Doña Paz</i> Ship involved in deadliest peacetime maritime disaster

MV Doña Paz was a Japanese-built and Philippine-registered passenger ferry that sank after it collided with the oil tanker Vector on December 20, 1987. Built by Onomichi Zosen of Hiroshima, Japan, the ship was launched on April 25, 1963 as the Himeyuri Maru with a passenger capacity of 608. In October 1975, the Himeyuri Maru was bought by Sulpicio Lines and renamed the Don Sulpicio. After a fire aboard in June 1979, the ship was refurbished and renamed Doña Paz.

SuperFerry was a brand and part of Aboitiz Transport System Corporation (ATSC) and later, Negros Navigation Co. (NENACO), and was one of the largest ferry operator in the Philippines before it was purchased by Negros Navigation, which simultaneously was purchased by the Chinese government through its private equity fund the China-Asean Investment Cooperation Fund in December 2010. Later in 2012 SuperFerry and its sister companies SuperCat and Cebu Ferries merged with Negros Navigation and rebranded as 2GO Travel, part of 2GO Group which rebranded from ATSC.

Cebu Ferries was a brand and part of Aboitiz Transport System Corporation (ATSC) and later, Negros Navigation Co. (NENACO), and served the VisMin operations of ATSC. Its hubs were at Pier 4 in Cebu City, Philippines. In 2012, Cebu Ferries and its sister companies; SuperFerry and SuperCat merged with Negros Navigation and rebranded as 2GO Travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negros Navigation</span> Shipping company in the Philippines

Negros Navigation Co., Inc. (NENACO) was one of the oldest domestic shipping companies in the Philippines. It was also one of the largest companies in the shipping business in the Philippines. Its main hub was in Pier 2, Manila North Harbor. It merged with Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) to form 2GO Travel in 2012.

MV <i>Princess of the Stars</i> Philippine passenger ferry, sank disastrously

MV Princess of the Stars was a passenger ferry owned by Filipino shipping company Sulpicio Lines, that capsized and sank on June 21, 2008, off the coast of San Fernando, Romblon at the height of Typhoon Fengshen, which was locally named by PAGASA as Frank. The storm passed directly over Romblon as a Category 2 typhoon, leading to the capsizing of the vessel; 814 people died as a result of the disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Typhoon Fengshen</span> Pacific typhoon in 2008

Typhoon Fengshen, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Frank, was the sixth named storm and the fourth typhoon recognised by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) recognised Fengshen as the seventh tropical depression, the sixth tropical storm, and fifth typhoon of the 2008 Pacific typhoon season.

MT <i>Vector</i> Philippine oil tanker that collided in 1987

Vector was a Philippine oil tanker that collided with the passenger ferry Doña Paz on December 20, 1987 in the Tablas Strait, Philippines, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 4,385 passengers and crew from the two ships. The incident is considered the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history.

MV <i>Princess of the Orient</i>

The MV Princess of the Orient was a passenger ferry owned by Sulpicio Lines that sank off Fortune Island, near the provinces of Cavite and Batangas in the island of Luzon, The Philippines on September 18, 1998. The ship was originally built in Japan as Sun Flower 11 in 1974 where she served as a cruise ferry before being sold to Sulpicio Lines in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothong Southern</span>

Gothong Southern, formally Gothong Southern Shipping Lines Incorporated, is a shipping and cargo line based in Cebu City. The company was established by Bob Gothong in 2003 and is different from the original Carlos A. Gothong Lines, Inc. Gothong Southern provides containerized shipping in the Philippines, as well as specialized services for container and chassis repairs, integrated port services and shipping line activities. The company operates from out of seven major ports of call namely Manila, Cebu, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos and Ozamiz, with an additional 24 direct port links.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothong Lines</span>

Carlos A. Gothong Lines, popularly known as CAGLI and formerly once known simply as Gothong Lines, is a cargo shipping company based in Cebu, Philippines. CAGLI was formerly a part of WG&A, which served 23 major provincial ports throughout the Philippines and was the first domestic shipping company in the country to be certified by the International Safety Management Code standard. CAGLI, William Lines and Aboitiz Shipping formed the biggest merger in the Philippine shipping industry.

Roble Shipping Inc. is a Cebu-based shipping line located in Cebu City, Philippines. The company was founded by Jose Roble, a native of Danao, Cebu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Asia Shipping Lines</span> Shipping company in the Philippines

Trans-Asia Shipping Lines, Incorporated (TASLI) is a shipping company based in Cebu City, Philippines. It was incorporated on March 25, 1974, under the name of Solar Shipping Lines, Inc. The Chairman of the company is Dennis A. Uy. Trans-Asia Shipping Lines is now managed by the Chelsea Logistics, Corp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lite Shipping Corporation</span>

Lite Shipping Corporation, is a Cebu City-based shipping line, that operates the Lite Ferries, a brand consisting of a fleet of more than 20 ships. The corporation has its origins from Bohol, and is the flagship company of Lite Holdings, Inc. At present, the corporation also owns and manages Danilo Lines, Inc. and Sunline Shipping Corporation.

MV Doña Marilyn was a Philippine inter-island ferry owned and operated by Sulpicio Lines, Inc. Built in Japan as the Otohime Maru in 1966, it was purchased by Sulpicio Lines in 1976 and renamed the MV Doña Ana, it suffered a fire in October 8th, 1978 and underwent refitting, being put back on service as the MV Doña Marilyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2GO Travel</span> Shipping company in the Philippines

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MV <i>St. Thomas Aquinas</i> Philippine ferry which sank in 2013

MV St. Thomas Aquinas was a Philippine-registered passenger ferry operated by 2GO Travel. On 16 August 2013, the vessel collided with a cargo ship named MV Sulpicio Express Siete of Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation and sank. As of 3 September 2013, there were 108 dead and 29 missing with 733 rescued as a result of the accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleson Shipping Lines</span>

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MV <i>Span Asia 25</i>

MV Span Asia 25 is a container vessel owned and operated by the Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation (PSACC). She is the former Heidi B up until September 1994, Maersk Euro Quinto until May 1997, Helgafell up until March 2005, Seaboard Rio Haina up until June 2008, Rio Bogota until December 2009, and Mohegan up until 2016. She was built at Orskov Shipbuilders Yard - Frederikshavn, Denmark in 1994 with IMO number 9100243 and MMSI number 54840200. She has a tonnage of 6158 tons. Her deadweight is 7850 tons and has a length of 121.9 m and beam of 20.1 m.

References

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