Starlite Ferries Inc. (Starlite), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. (CLC), has launched daily services on the route between Matnog in Sorsogon and Allen in Northern Samar using its roll-on/roll-off/passenger vessel (RoPax).
MV Archer departed Roxas, Mindoro on April 18 for an overnight trip to Allen, arriving at Allen port on April 19 at 6 a.m. On 11 a.m. of the same day MV Archer made its maiden voyage from Allen to Matnog, before journeying on its return trip, leaving Matnog port at 2:30 p.m., CLC said in a statement.
Weighing 836 tons, MV Archer can transport 788 passengers and 26 rolling truck cargoes per trip. It is now scheduled to traverse the Matnog-Allen route every day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., making a total of eight trips.
MV Archer is the fifth ship that Starlite acquired under its vessel modernization program. MV Pioneer debuted in 2015, and three more vessels—MV Reliance, MV Eagle, and MV Saturn—were built in 2016.
In November last year, CLC acquired 100% ownership of Starlite. Under the new management, Starlite seeks to become the leading marine mover of vital goods, cargo, and passengers in the Philippines. To date, Starlite owns 14 RoPax vessels.
Starlite saw 33% higher contribution to CLC’s revenue in the first quarter of 2018 at P241 million. In March 2018, Starlite re-launched its brand with “Adventure starts, when you step into Starlite.”
