Supercat Fast Ferry Corporation (SFFC)

The Supercat Fast Ferry Corporation (Supercat) is a shipping company that operates a fleet of High Speed Catamarans (HSC) in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

and is part of the transport and logistics service arm of Aboitiz & Company (ACO), which is fully owned by the Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV). Supercat is the sister company of SuperFerry

SuperFerry

SuperFerry, founded as Aboitiz SuperFerry, is a shipping company based in Manila, Philippines. It is the country’s largest shipping company,with its main hub located in Pier 15 in Manila South Harbor...

& Cebu Ferries

Cebu Ferries

Cebu Ferries is a shipping company based in Cebu City, Philippines. It is the Aboitiz's alternate shipping company. Its main hub is Pier 4 in Cebu....

. Supercat is currently operating 7 vessels in 7 ports around the Philippines.

Brief history

Batangas

Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...

- Calapan route is one of the active, important and profitable shipping routes in the Philippines. During the early 90s, the route was dominated by a giant shipping company. Travelling during those days could take up to 3 hours and be uncomfortable. In 1994, Rodolfo G. Valencia (RGV), former governor of Oriental Mindoro, invited the Aboitiz group to ply the route. His intention was to bring a more convenient alternative to Mindoro. Under the management of Universal Aboitiz Inc, M/V Supercat 1, their pioneer vessel, traveled between Batangas

Batangas

and Calapan in only 45 minutes.

Supercat expanded routes to the Visayas

Visayas

The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...

Region. Fast craft became popular in the Philippines

Philippines

by then. In 1997, Sea Angels (owned by Negros Navigation

Negros Navigation

Negros Navigation Co., Inc. is one of the oldest domestic shipping companies in the Philippines. It is also one of the largest companies in the passenger transport business in the Philippines...

) merged with Aboitiz Equity Ventures and Hong Kong Park View Holdings to form the Supercat Fast Ferry Corporation. Together with this, Supercat acquired 2 vessels from Waterjet Shipping Corporation (owned by Waterjet Netherlands Antilles). They renamed it as Supercat 17 (former Waterjet 1, currently FastCat Ryde) and Supercat 18 (former Waterjet 2, currently FastCat Shanklin). The merger had eventually dissolved in 2002. Now solely owned by Aboitiz, the abolition of the WG&A merger soon unraveled. Supercat sacrificed some of its vessels including their corresponding routes, in order to sustain its fast craft operations. Together with this, Supercat downsized its employee size from 200 to just 100 employees.

At present, Supercat is currently owned by Aboitiz, as part of the Aboitiz Transport System (ATS).

Current Destinations

Orion
Orion, Bataan
Orion is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 49,164 people in 8,735 households.-Barangays:Orion is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.-Festival:...

, Bataan
Bataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
Batangas City
Batangas City
- Foreign Rule :The first Spanish missionaries arrived in Batangas City since 1572. Finally on 1581 Spanish authorities governing the Philippines created a pueblo in the area which included the hill where the present Provincial Capitol of Batangas stands after the formal end of the Coumintang...

, Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...

, Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Bacolod City and it occupies the northwestern half of Negros Island; Negros Oriental is at the southeastern half...
Calapan City
Calapan City
Calapan City is a 3rd class city in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It is the capital city of Oriental Mindoro and known as the "Gateway to the Golden Isle". According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 116,976 people in 20,929 households.The city's economy is dependent on...

, Oriental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro is a province of the Philippines located in the island of Mindoro under MIMAROPA region in Luzon, about 140 km southwest of Manila...
Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...

, Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
Iloilo City
Iloilo City
The City of Iloilo is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines and the capital city of Iloilo province. It is the regional center of the Western Visayas, as well as the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area...

, Iloilo
Iloilo
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
Ormoc City
Ormoc City
The City of Ormoc is a 1st class city in the province of Leyte, Philippines. The city's name is derived from ogmok, an old Visayan term for lowland or depressed plain. It is the first non-provincial city of the Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 177,524 people...

, Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
Tagbilaran City
Tagbilaran City
Tagbilaran City is a 2nd class component city in the island province of Bohol, Philippines and serves as its capital. Tagbilaran lies on the southwestern part of the province, and has a total land area of 32.7 km², with about 13 km of coastline...

, Bohol
Bohol
Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of and a coastline long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines...

Active Routes

Batangas - Calapan v v. (1 hour 10 minutes)
Cebu - Ormoc v v. (2 hours and 20 minutes)
Cebu - Tagbilaran v v. (1 hour 45 minutes)
Iloilo - Bacolod v v. (1 hour 15 minutes)

Fleet

The Supercat fleet is mainly composed of High Speed Catamarans, but they also own monohulled vessels. All Supercat vessels are fully air-conditioned. They feature airline-type seating, a mini-canteen, and an onboard entertainment system.

From the 1990s to early 2000s, all Supercat vessels were jet-powered. Due to economic problems, Aboitiz was forced sell ships reducing an original fleet of fourteen down to just seven.

To cope with the soaring fuel prices, Supercat started replacing their previous fleet with more fuel-efficient vessels. At present, all jet-powered Supercat HSC vessels were replaced by more fuel efficient vessels using a simple propulsion system.

Safety Features Onboard

Supercat Vessels have high safety standards. All Supercats are equipped with sophisticated navigational aids such as night vision cameras, life jackets, and inflatable life rafts. A safety demonstration video is presented to the passengers which includes proper wearing of life jackets and other necessary dos and don'ts on board. At present, all Supercats are accredited by the International Safety Management (ISM

ISM

--ism :* -ism – a suffix, meaning adherence or following an ideology* Isms philosophical world views-ISM :ISM is an acronym of:*Idiopathic sclerosing mesenteritis*Imperial Service Medal*Incorporated Society of Musicians...

) Some of their vessels are also certified by the Det Norske Veritas

Det Norske Veritas

Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas is a classification society organized as a foundation, with the objective of "Safeguarding life, property, and the environment". The organization's history goes back to 1864, when the foundation was established in Norway to inspect and evaluate the technical condition...

(DNV). Supercat has a clean safety record.

SuperCat 22

Supercat 22 is formerly M/V Mt. Samat Ferry 3, which was operated by defunct Philippine fast ferry company, Mt. Samat. The Supercat 22 was built by FBMA Marine Inc. (an Aboitiz Company) in Balamban, Cebu. This vessel uses a simple propulsion system, and is very fuel efficient. In July 2010, she was added a second deck.

SuperCat 23

Supercat 23 is the only high speed monohull vessel in the Supercat fleet. She uses a simple propulsion system and is fuel efficient. She also offers an open deck accommodation at a more affordable price. She is currently serving the Batangas - Calapan route.

SuperCat 25

Supercat 25 is formerly M/V Mt. Samat Ferry 5, which was operated by defunct Philippine fast ferry company, Mt. Samat. She is a sister ship of Supercat 22 and was also built by FBMA Marine Inc. (an Aboitiz Company) in Balamban, Cebu. Similarly this vessel uses a simple propulsion system, and is very fuel efficient. She was renamed as M/V Smart in Korea, before ending up with Supercat Fast Ferry Corp. She is currently serving the Bacolod-Iloilo route in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.

SuperCat 26

SuperCat 26 is the former SeaCat from Australia, traveling Perth to Rottnest Island. She has twin Caterpillar C32 engines and can cruise up to 28 knots. She's 25m in length.

SuperCat 30 (Current flagship)

Supercat 30 is formerly one of Elbe City Jet's catamaran. She was named Hanseblitz from 1996–2001 and was reconfigured and elevated its Captain's bridge at Abeking & Rasmussen, and later on acquired by Transtejo in Lisboa,Portugal renamed Bairro Alto until early 2008. She has two decks. The upper deck offers business class accommodation for elite passengers. This vessel was built by Lindstol Skips, in Risor Norway. Unlike the other Supercat vessels, this vessel is equipped with controllable pitch propellers as its propulsion system. Supercat 32 is her sister ship. She is currently serving the Cebu - Ormoc route.

SuperCat 32

Supercat 32 is formerly one of Elbe City Jet's catamaran. She was named Hansepfeil from 1996–2002 and was reconfigured and elevated its Captain's bridge at Abeking & Rasmussen, and later on acquired by Transtejo in Lisboa,Portugal renamed Parque das Nacoes until early 2008. She has two decks. The upper deck offers business class accommodation for elite passengers. This vessel was built by Lindstol Skips, in Risor Norway. Unlike the other Supercat vessels, this vessel is equipped with controllable pitch propellers as its propulsion system. Supercat 30 is her sister ship. She is currently serving the Cebu-Ormoc route.

SuperCat 36

Supercat 36 is formerly known as Blue Fin and one of the oldest (1990) and one of three JetCats (high speed catamarans) purchased for the run to Manly. The other two are Sea Eagle and Sir David Martin (Now Supercat 38), delivered in that order. They replaced the hydrofoils. She formerly served from Manly to Circular Quay from 1990-2008 before ending up with Supercat. She uses a KAMEWA waterjet-propulsion and her maximum service speed can reach up to 31 knots. Supercat 38 is her sistership. She is currently serving the Batangas - Calapan route together with her sister Supercat 38.

SuperCat 38

Supercat 38 is formerly known as Sir David Martin and one of the oldest (1990) and one of three JetCats (high speed catamarans) purchased for the run to Manly. The other two are Sea Eagle and Blue Fin (Now Supercat 36), delivered in that order. They replaced the hydrofoils. She formerly served from Manly to Circular Quay from 1990-2008 before ending up with Supercat. She uses a KAMEWA waterjet-propulsion and her maximum service speed can reach up to 31 knots and she is 34.8 metres long.
Supercat 36 is her sistership. She is currently serving the Batangas - Calapan route

Former Vessels

Supercat 1 (sank-off en-route to Calapan City, Mindoro)
Supercat - I (sold to Emeraude Lines renamed as NORMANDIE EXPRESS, later renamed as Moorea Express)
Supercat 2 (sold to Korean Shipping Company KOREA EXPRESS FERRY CO.,Ltd, renamed as Korea Express)
Supercat 3 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services...

, renamed as Karolina )
Supercat 5 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services...

, renamed as Judita)
Supercat 6 (sold to Moreton Bay Whale Watching, sold to Seo Kyung Korea renamed as Gold Coast)
Supercat 7 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services...

, renamed as Novalja)
Supercat 8 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services...

, renamed as Dubravka)
Supercat 9 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company, renamed as Bisovo)
Supercat 10 (sold to Korean Shipping Company WONDERFUL ISLAND CO., renamed as Mosulpo 1 (모슬포1호))
Supercat 11: St. Raphael (sold to Italian Shipping Company Ustica
Ustica
Ustica is the name of a small island, about 9 km across, situated 52 km north of Capo Gallo, Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea...

Lines, renamed as Federica M)
Supercat 12: St. Gabriel (sold to Italian Shipping Company Ustica
Ustica
Ustica is the name of a small island, about 9 km across, situated 52 km north of Capo Gallo, Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea...

Lines, renamed as Gabrielle M)
Supercat 17 (sold to Wightlink
Wightlink
Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.Their core routes are car ferries from Lymington to Yarmouth and Portsmouth to Fishbourne...

for use between Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

and Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...

, Renamed as FastCat-Ryde)
Supercat 18 (sold to Wightlink
Wightlink
Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.Their core routes are car ferries from Lymington to Yarmouth and Portsmouth to Fishbourne...

for use between Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

and Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...

, Renamed as FastCat-Shanklin )
Supercat 20 (sold to South African Shipping Company FakoShip, renamed as Endurance)
Supercat 21 (returned to her lessor )
Supercat 2001/Tricat 50 (sold, renamed as SEA POWER 1)
Supercat 2002 (sold to a Dutch Shipping Company, renamed as Tiger)

Trivias

Sometime in 1994, M/V Supercat sank off near Calapan City. There were no casualties. All passengers were rescued by another RORO vessel. There were speculations that the vessel was sabotaged. It was not proven though.
Supercat 6 was the smallest Supercat vessel
In commemoration of the Philippine Independence Centennial, Supercat repainted some of its vessels with a "Philippine Flag Livery".
TriCat 50 was renamed as Supercat 2001.
Supercat had already owned three (3) mono hull fast crafts (namely SC 20, 21 & 23) in its history.
The brand "Supercat" was derived from two words, "SUPER" and "CATamaran"
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, better known as Sharon Cuneta, is a popular and multi-awarded Filipino singer, actress and TV host dubbed as Megastar of Philippine Entertainment, fondly called Mega by fans and people from the entertainment industry....

filmed Supercat's TV Ad in both Batangas City
Batangas City
- Foreign Rule :The first Spanish missionaries arrived in Batangas City since 1572. Finally on 1581 Spanish authorities governing the Philippines created a pueblo in the area which included the hill where the present Provincial Capitol of Batangas stands after the formal end of the Coumintang...

and Calapan City
Calapan City
Calapan City is a 3rd class city in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It is the capital city of Oriental Mindoro and known as the "Gateway to the Golden Isle". According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 116,976 people in 20,929 households.The city's economy is dependent on...

. The Ad was only advertised on board and through local cable networks TV Ad in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro
Roxas, Oriental Mindoro
Roxas is a 3rd class Partially Urban municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 46,711 people in 8,057 households with 24,025 registered voters as of 01 Aug 2007.-History:...

and Iloilo City
Iloilo City
The City of Iloilo is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines and the capital city of Iloilo province. It is the regional center of the Western Visayas, as well as the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area...

.
Supercat used to have its own exclusive terminal in Calapan. The terminal was eventually demolished after a bigger and better public terminal was constructed in 2009.
Supercat was sued for mandating an additional terminal fee on top of the fare in Calapan, for use of their newly constructed exclusive terminal. Supercat was then forced to remove the terminal fee.
The Catamaran Judita, formerly Supercat 5, is now labeled as the "Pope's Catamaran". Pope John Paul II rode Judita from Omišalj to Rijeka in his visit to Croatia

External links

http://www.philippinebusiness.com.ph/archives/magazine/vol10-2003/10-3/industry.htm
http://www.allbusiness.com/transportation-warehousing/support/449102-1.html
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/09252008/shipping02.html
http://www.supercat.com.ph/index.asp
http://www.flickr.com/groups/psss/

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.