Ship Repair firm brings second drydock to Subic

Subic Bay Freeport- Subic Drydock Corporation ( SubicDock), a company providing ship repair and new building services in this Freeport, is now ready to take on more customers following its acquisitions of another drydocking facility.

SubicDock president Catalino Bondoc said the firm recently acquired the AFDL-21, a small auxiliary floating drydock and has installed it at Subic’s Bravo Pier alongside the AFDM-5, a medium auxiliary floating dry dock, that the firm brought here last year.

The SFDL-21, which has a length of 200 ft. and a beam of 64 ft., has al lifting capacity of 1,000 tons, while the bigger AFDM-5, which has an overall length of 622 ft. and an extreme beam of 124 ft. can lift vessels up to 18,000 tons.

“With these two drydocks, we are now able to serve a wider range of vessels and aim to be one of the leaders in the Philippine ship repair industry,” Bondoc said during a familiarization tour for shipping agents and prospective clients.

“Our company vision,” Bondoc added, “is to be a world-class provider of ship repair, overhauling, installation, fabrication, and port general services.”

Subic dock brought the AFDM-5 to its former home in Subic last year after it served at Guam shipyard since 1992, when the US navy towed the dry dock to Guam as it pulled out from the former Subic Naval Base.

The AFDL-21, meanwhile, has been transferred to the Philippine Navy in 1961, but was sold to Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. im March 1990.

Since its operation here in October last year, SubicDOck has been attracting growing list of customers, including vessels owned by the US Navy, the North Korean fishing fleet, and Austel Shipping, an Australian firm operating high speed ferries.

The firm had since received a 2001 certification of compliance from the RINA Society ( Registro Italiano Novale) of Italy, Bondoc added.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano Salonga, who attended the recent briefing, said SubicDock’s ship repair facilities boost Subic’s bid to become a major international maritime center.

“We’ve got it all here,” Salonga said. “Subic has a deep, natural harbor for ships, tax free environment for business, and skilled but comparatively cheap manpower.”

Bondoc said Subic is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cabras Marines Corporation, a US-based maritime services organization with over 30 years experience in providing tugboat, salvage, pilotage and waterfront services for the US Navy and commercial ocean-going vessels in Guam and Micronesia.

SUBIC DRYDOCK CORP READY TO TAKE ON MORE CUSTOMERS

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Subic Drydock Corporation (SubicDock), a company providing ship repair and new building services in this free port, is now ready to take on more customers following its acquisition of another drydocking facility.

SubicDock president Catalino Bondoc said the firm recently acquired the AFDL-21, a small auxiliary floating dry dock, and has installed it at Subic's Bravo Pier alongside the AFDM-5, a medium auxiliary floating dry dock, that the firm brought here last year.

The SFDL-21, which has a length of 200 feet and a beam of 64 feet, has a lifting capacity of 1,000 tons, while the bigger AFDM-5, which has an overall length of 622 feet and an extreme beam of 124 feet, can lift vessels up to 1,000 tons.

"With these two dry docks, we are now able to serve a wider range of vessels and aim to be one of the leaders in the Philippine ship repair industry," Bondoc said during a familiarization tour for shipping agents and prospective clients.

"Our company vision," Bondoc added, "is to be a world-class provider of ship repair, overhauling, installation, fabrication, and port general services."

SubicDock brought the AFDM-5 to its former home in Subic last year after serving at the Guam Shipyard since 1992, when the US Navy towed the dry dock to Guam as it pulled out from the former Subic Naval Base.

The AFDL-21, meanwhile, was transferred to the Philippine Navy in 1961, but was sold to Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. in March 1990. It has been operating here since October last year.

SubicDock has been attracting a growing list of customers, including vessels owned by the US Navy, the North Korean fishing fleet, and Austel Shipping, an Australian firm operating high speed ferries.

The firm has received a 2001 certification of compliance from the RINA Society (Registro Italiano Novale) of Italy, Bondoc said.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano Salonga, who attended the recent briefing, said SubicDocks ship repair facilities boost Subics bid to become a major international maritime center.

"We've got it all here," Salonga said. "Subic has a deep, natural harbor for ships, tax-free environment for business, and skilled but comparatively cheap manpower."

Bondoc said SubicDock is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cabras Marine Corporation, a US-based maritime services organization with over 30 years experience in providing tugboat, salvage, pilot age and waterfront services for the US Navy and commercial ocean-going vessels in Guam and Micronesia.

With the company now in the final stages of completing requirements for ISO 9001:2000 certification, Bondoc said that SubicDock's clients could be assured of the firms capabilities in technical and client support services, ship repair, customer assurance, and on-time product delivery.

Aside from drydocking facilities, Bondoc said SubicDock also has a 100-ton floating derrick crane and all the necessary shop facilities and equipment for various operations and services.

The company also offers comprehensive ship repair, conversion and construction, engineering, mechanical and electrical repair, tugboat and barging services, non-destructive testing, welding, painting and coating services, structural fabrication and lay out, manufacturing and machining, and component refurbishment.

SubicDock also undertakes valves-in shop services, shipboard mechanical and component and valve repairs, governor and injector services, internal combustion engine services, hydraulic services, piping system services, heat exchanger and cooler services, air conditioning and refrigeration, insulation, shipwright and woodworking, temporary services, electric and electronic services, crane rigging, transportation, maintenance, testing and certification, diving services, and occupational health, safety and environmental services. (PNA)

Subic firm ready with 2 drydocks

By: PhilStar.com, By Bebot Sison Jr.


SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A Philippine-registered company providing ship repair and new building services in this Freeport is now ready to take on more customers as it announced full operations of its two dry docks.

Catalino Bondoc, president of Subic Drydock Corp. (SubicDock), said the firm has recently acquired the AFDL-21, which has a lifting capacity of 1,000 tons, to complement the biggerAFDM-5, which can lift vessels up to 18,000 tons.SubicDock, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cabras Marine Corp., brought the AFDM-5 in Subic last year to cater to a growing clientele in the ship repair industry.

The AFDM-5, which is a trough-type dock of welded structural steel with pontoons on its center and two end sections and two fixed rectangular sidewalls, can take in vessels up to 96 feet in width. Both the drydocks are now berthed at the approach pier of Bravo Wharf here in the Subic Freeport.” With these two drydocks, we are now able to serve a wider range of vessels and be one of the leaders in the Philippine ship repair industry,” declared Bondoc.

“Our vision is to be a world-class provider of ship repair, overhauling, installation, fabrication, and port general services,” he added during a recent familiarization tour of the firm’s facilities for shipping agents.Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano Salonga, who attended the briefing, said SubicDock’s ship repair facilities would “surely boost Subic’s bid to become a major international maritime center.” We’ve got it all here,” Salonga said. “Subic has a deep, natural harbor for ships, tax-free environment for business, and skilled but comparatively cheap manpower.” I believe that SubicDock, which is highly experienced in this business, will prosper here in Subic,” he added.

Floating drydock back as Subic Freeport offers ...

Fifteen years after the floating dry dock was towed out of Subic Bay as part of the 1992 US base withdrawal, the sophisticated equipment has been returned here as this premier Freeport zone is now back in ship repair business.

Subic Drydock, a subsidiary of prominent U.S.-based ship repair service provider Cabras Marine Corporation, announced the arrival of AFDM-5 floating dry dock on Saturday which would revive the operations of the defunct Ship Repair Facilities (SRF) here.

Cabras is a private firm which has been considered as the leading ship repair service provider of tug-boats, salvage vessels, and waterfront maintenance for the US Navy and commercial vessels in Guam and Micronesia for over 30 years.

Shutdown in 1992 after the historic withdrawal of US Naval troops and facilities, the floating dry docks (AFDM-5) was towed to Hawaii, displacing thousands of highly-skilled direct Filipino ship repair employees and indirect workers.

Cabras, through its sister company, Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. (MTSC) was able to purchase the AFDM-5 to the State-government of Guam after the US Armed Forces donated the sophisticated ship repair machinery after it was decommissioned supposedly for lack of operational and technical manpower that "belongs to former Filipino base workers."

In October 2005, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano G. Salonga and administrator Armand C. Arreza signed a long-term lease contract with Subic Drydock Corporation President and CEO Catalino Bondoc for the setting up of a P275 million ship repair facilities.

Salonga said that the return of the floating dry dock would open job opportunities, particularly to those highly skilled US base workers who were trained and used to be employed with the SRF during US Navy days.

Shortly after the contract signing, Bondoc clarified that while the floating docks were strictly utilized for military purpose, it will now be servicing commercial clienteles for ships like inter-island sized vessels and ferries.

He added that Subic Dry Dock would also be offering ship repair service to Philippine Navy ships and other Navy vessels of countries within the Asia-Pacific region.

Bondoc also disclosed that international shipping market will be the primary target client of the project, particularly vessels operating in the Asian Region. These vessels are represented by international shipping agents composed mostly of customers of Malayan group of companies.

Subic Dry Dock will also be eyeing service contracts with 88 domestic shipping companies operating 315 domestic vessels.

Subic Dry Dock will also process to secure the Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) and be accredited for US Navy ship repair contracts that require dry docking and repair services particularly from the Military Sealift Command based in Yokohama, Japan .

"Initially, we will be hiring 150 workers which will be made up of former SRF workers who will also be in-charge as trainers to new breed and young ship repair workers," Subic Dock Project Director Gerald Hammond said.

The project will be employing 600 skilled and semi-skilled workers composed mostly of those who used to be stationed in the SRF area for their familiarity on the dock and at the same time train apprentices.

The company's total capital expenditure of P276 million will be used to acquire the dry docks amounting to P165 million while the remaining amount of P110 million would be allocated for the improvement berthing and other port facilities of the Bravo pier inside the SRF compound such as the administrative office building, machine shop and warehouse.

The AFDM-5 floating dry dock is a wielded structural steel, capable of accommodating ships of 18,000 tons displacement with length-span of up to 150 meters.

Subic Freeport bested other port areas that the company explored for the setting-up of its ship repair facility project such as the Sarangani Bay in General Santos and Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam .

The ship repair facility is expected to be completed and operational in two months after the arrival of another dry dock to support its operations and upgrade handling capabilities that will surely bring new hope and bright future to former SRF workers. (PNA-Malou Dungog)