The launch of a new Batangas-Caticlan ferry service is expected to strengthen the movement of passengers, cargo and goods between Luzon and Western Visayas, while providing a more reliable sea link to one of the country’s major tourism gateways.
Lite Shipping Corp. has deployed the newly acquired MV Lite Ferry Twenty on the Batangas City-Caticlan, Malay, Aklan route, adding capacity to the Western Nautical Highway and linking Batangas more directly with Panay Island.
The vessel, which can carry up to 578 passengers and 30 units of 12-meter trucks and six cars, is expected to support tourism, local commerce and the movement of goods between Luzon and the Visayas.
At the August 7 blessing and inauguration, Jonathan Lim, CEO of Lite Shipping Corp., said the deployment marks the company’s growing presence in the Western Nautical Highway and its effort to provide faster and more dependable connections among major economic and tourism centers.
‘This deployment is more than just an expansion of load,’ Lim said, noting that the new service would provide a sea link between major industry hubs and destinations such as Boracay.
Lite Shipping President Lucio Lim Jr. said the company plans to make the Batangas-Caticlan service a daily operation.
The company intends to deploy a second vessel on the route before the end of August, allowing daily trips between the two destinations.
The new vessel is the company’s largest brand-new acquisition to date. Measuring 90 meters in length and with a gross registered tonnage of 3,923 tons, the MV Lite Ferry Twenty is designed to provide greater passenger and cargo capacity on the route.
Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator Sonia Malaluan said the vessel’s deployment would strengthen a key maritime corridor supporting trade and economic activity between Luzon and Western Visayas.
She said the vessel’s capacity would allow it to carry passengers and rolling cargo while raising the standards for safety, reliability and comfort in domestic shipping.
Marina has granted the vessel pioneering status, recognizing the introduction of an upgraded shipping service on the route.
Malaluan said the deployment is consistent with the agency’s push to modernize the domestic shipping fleet and encourage operators to invest in vessels that meet higher standards of safety, efficiency and passenger comfort.
Aklan seeks new Batangas-Dumaguit route
Moving forward, Aklan is seeking to expand its maritime connectivity beyond the new Batangas-Caticlan service, with a proposed route that would allow heavy cargo trucks to bypass difficult mountain roads in northern Panay.
Aklan 2nd District Rep. Florencio Miraflores said the provincial government plans to ask Marina and Lite Shipping to consider opening a Batangas-Dumaguit service.
Under the proposal, cargo trucks bound for Kalibo and Iloilo could use Dumaguit as an alternative entry point instead of passing through Caticlan and traversing the roughly 70-kilometer road between Caticlan and Kalibo.
Miraflores said the proposed route could help address the difficulties faced by heavy trucks traveling through the mountain sections between Caticlan and Kalibo, while reducing congestion and improving road safety.
He said the diversion of heavy cargo traffic could also allow the Caticlan-Kalibo highway to function more effectively as a tourism corridor for travelers heading to Boracay from the Kalibo International Airport.
‘We will be writing a request for your consideration to open the Batangas-Dumaguit route for our heavy cargo trucks in the future,’ Miraflores said.
He said the proposed route would complement Caticlan’s role as a major gateway for tourism and maritime trade, while providing an alternative logistics corridor for goods moving toward Iloilo and other parts of Panay.
The provincial government is also seeking additional shipping routes serving other parts of Aklan as it aims to maximize the province’s position as a gateway between Luzon and the Visayas.
Western, Eastern nautical highways
Lite Shipping said its expansion in the Western Nautical Highway forms part of a broader effort to connect the country’s major island groups through a more integrated shipping network.
The company currently operates routes across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and has been expanding its fleet through the acquisition of new vessels.
Lim Jr. said the company has been adding around two higher-class vessels annually in recent years.
Aside from the MV Lite Ferry Twenty, another brand-new vessel is scheduled for deployment in September on the San Carlos City-Toledo City route.
The company said the additional routes are intended to strengthen links between Panay, Negros, Cebu and other parts of the country, eventually bridging the Western and Eastern Nautical Highways.
Lite Shipping, together with its subsidiaries, currently operates 27 roll-on/roll-off passenger ferries serving 36 destinations, according to the company.
For Aklan, the arrival of the MV Lite Ferry Twenty represents another step in the development of Caticlan as a strategic gateway not only for Boracay tourism but also for the movement of cargo and passengers between Luzon and the Visayas.
Miraflores said the province would continue supporting the operation and would work with port authorities to facilitate the vessel’s operations in Caticlan.
The new service, he said, should be viewed as a starting point for further expansion of maritime links that could strengthen commerce, tourism and logistics in Aklan and neighboring provinces.