Ferry Business - Summer/Spring 2020

1 2 9 However, some safety challenges remain. These include the slow phase- out of substandard vessels, the lack of policies on the retirement of old ferries, and poor public and private sector support for modernisation. “National and local government needs to cut red tape and provide incentives for ferry companies, while owners must modernise their fleets and update equipment,” says Pastrana. “Local government and private banks must help shipowners and operators. Maritime education needs to be improved to meet international standards and the reach of the Philippine Coast Guard needs expanding. Other key areas for improvement include the quality of the inspection teams, public support for using safe ferry services and the elimination of poor industry practices.” In keeping with its ‘Ferry Safe, Ferry Fast, Ferry Convenient’ motto, APFC will ensure that all of its new ships incorporate the latest design and safety features. “The new FastCat vessels have twin hulls, which perform better in local sea conditions than mono-hulls,” says Pastrana. “The ferries will be fitted with four Yanmar engines that meet the International Maritime Organization’s Safe Return to Port specifications. Additional engines will mitigate risk during emergency situations, while the ships’ freeboard clearance of three metres means they will perform better in rough seas. Plus, they will have a high degree of redundancy for navigational systems, as well as vessel tracker systems with geofencing capabilities to monitor movement.” APFC has also invested in crew training. “We’ve launched virtual reality training to familiarise the crew with the ships and developed an electronic training record book for cadets,” says Pastrana. When asked what advice she would give to other Philippines ferry operators looking to improve safety like APFC has, Pastrana says: “Build human resources capacity and raise safety awareness among both personnel and the travelling public. Further steps must also be taken to build collaboration with local government, maritime regulators, port authorities and the Philippine Coast Guard to plug any gaps.” CFR “2020 will be very exciting for APFC as we prepare to receive about 16 new vessels”