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Shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp.-Philippines on Saturday
launched its second container vessel built at the Subic Bay
Freeport.
The container ship, called CMA CGM Turquoise,
has a market value of about $60 million, Hanjin said in a statement.
Turquoise would also be delivered to the Dioryx
Maritime Corp., a Greek shipping company, which in July also bought
MV Argolikos, the very first ship made at the free port.
The 4,300-TEU (20-foot equivalent) vessel was
towed from Hanjin’s Drydock 5 to the Subic shipyard’s quayside,
where it will sit for three months while electrical systems and
other facilities are installed prior to its sea trial, Hanjin said.
Officials of the Korean shipbuilder said
productivity in their Subic Freeport shipyard is fast catching up
with their shipyard in native Korea.
“Filipinos learn fast—now they are
experts,” said Yoonha Kim, Hanjin’s quality assurance director.
He also praised Filipino workers for displaying
“world-class efficiency” after hull construction and engine
installation for Turquoise was finished within the standard Hanjin
timetable of 13 months.
“Our goal is to be at par with our South
Korean counterparts in terms of efficiency and quality of work,”
Kim said during the launching, which was attended by Hanjin
officials and representatives of Dioryx and Bureau Veritas.
The completion of the second vessel showed the
increased efficiency and technical know-how of Filipino workers when
compared to the 14-month construction of the Argolikos, Kim further
said.
Apart from container vessels, Hanjin would start
building oil tankers and bulk carriers next year, Kim disclosed.
President Gloria Arroyo earlier lauded the local
Hanjin shipyard’s Filipino workers, saying that the Argolikos is
“a showcase of excellence for Filipino ship workers” during the
ship’s formal naming ceremony in July.
Arroyo also said the $1.7-billion Hanjin
investment in Subic is “a massive boost” to the country’s bid
to be the best value for investment in Asia, as the shipyard expects
to produce 21,000 jobs during full operations.
According to Capt. Thanos Gonis of Dioryx, the
Greek shipping firm has not experienced any problem with MV
Argolikos, which just finished its first-round trip under the
chartering of CMA CGM, the biggest container transportation and
shipping company in France.
Gonis also said Diorix has ordered from Hanjin
six container vessels, each with a capacity of 4,300 TEUs, a gross
weight of 41,000 tons and measuring 258.9 meters in length, 19
meters high and 32 meters wide.
-- Ben Arnold O. de Vera
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