The first roll-on/roll-off ferry service to directly link Mindanao and Luzon officially started on June 12. The purely roro offering connects Surigao City in Mindanao and Bulan, Sorsogon, in Luzon, circumventing a major segment of the country’s eastern nautical highway and bypassing the challenging route through Samar and Leyte severely affected by the partial closure of San Juanico Bridge. The service is operated by Cebu-based Seen Sam Shipping using the newly-built landing craft tank (LCT) MV 1018, which has seven lanes and can accommodate 37 10-wheeler trucks and five 6-wheeler vehicles. The vessel has an overall length of 85 meters and a gross registered tonnage of 2,024 metric tons. The Surigao to Sorsogon trip takes about 21 hours, with truck drivers and their helpers provided with complimentary accommodation in air-conditioned sleeping quarters. Freight charges range from P18,000 for a 6-wheeler Bongo to P115,000 for trailer trucks loaded with heavy equipment. Seen Sam Shipping plans to bolster its service offerings in the near future with the arrival of a new vessel, the MV 1070, which will boost service capacity and frequency.
