SUBIC BAY FREEPORT- China’s leading clean energy service provider Jovo Group Company Ltd. Guangdong (Jovo) said it is ready to engage in ship-to-ship operations in Subic Bay.
The ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operations will involve oil tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Asia Pacific that will be transferred to smaller vessels bound to ports in China. STS addresses the shipping of petroleum products to China as most of its ports cannot accommodate bulk carriers because of depth issues.
In a public consultation, Jovo International Business general manager Yuan Lu said the LNG will be brought to Subic Bay from Australia and Indonesia by Belgium-flag carrier, a 94,000-ton bulk carrier. The cargo will then be transferred while at sea to a smaller 47,000-tonnage capacityship bound for China.
Lu said that the STS operations of Jovo in Subic will be assessed after five years, results of which will determine if a regional hub should be established here to accommodate delivery of LNG to the local market and the rest of Southeast Asia.
He said Jovo’s long-term plan is to introduce the LNG to local markets in the Philippines, especially those in the transportation sector as this kind of fuel is safe and environmentally friendly.
Lu said that company Jovo has decades of comprehensive experience in clean energy shipping, storage, processing and sales with zero accidents,and assured that LNG and the STS operation will be environmentally safe.
The consultation was attended by local fishermen, members of the Philippine Coast Guard, PNP Maritime Group and workers of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) held at the SBMA Seaport Admin Building.
Fishermen belonging to Subic Bay Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council (SBFARMC) said they are grateful to SBMA and Jovo for the holding of the consultations prior to the start of the STS operation in Subic.
“We are thankful for the invitation of SBMA headed by its new chairman Martin Diño and Jovo for this consultation for them to hear our concerns and enlighten us on this ship-to-ship operation that might affect our livelihood,” said SBFARMC chair Laureano Artagame.
Artagame noted that large ships oftentimes occupy the fishing areas of small fishermen in Subic Bay, but with the consultation, accidental “intrusion” can now be avoided.
Meanwhile, China Classification Society (CCS) senior engineer Fan Hong Jun, in his presentation, compared highly combustible gasoline or liquefied petroleum gas against LNG which has lesser greenhouse effect and is lighter than air, making it safer in case of spillage.
With a property temperature of -162 ̊C, LNG is hard to burn but evaporates rapidly, Fan explained, adding that if it spills into our oceans or even into our water source, it will not affect marine life, and our water remains safe to drink.
“It burns slowly, and does not mix with water nor kill fish or any other marine life. LNG is very environmental friendly,” he said.
In terms of revenue, Fan said the Port of Subic will earn tens of millionsof pesos from services, including tug boat services, port services and anchorage. This does not include indirect revenue from payments for tugboats, chandlers, bunkering and food supplies. –Mhike R. Cigaral