Starlite Ferries
Starlite Ferries is a passenger ferry company based in Batangas City, Batangas, Philippines owned and operated by Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp., a Manila-based logistics company. It mainly serves the provinces of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Aklan, Cebu and Surigao del Norte and is one of the leading ferry companies operating in the Mimaropa and Western Visayas regions.
History
Starlite Ferries Inc. started operations in 1995 with its first vessel MV Starlite Ferry. It began at a time when trade and commerce in Mindoro started to flourish. MV Starlite Ferry served the Calapan to Batangas route which then had a daily average passenger traffic of 10,000 people and an average vehicle count of 1,500 to 2,000 units. There was an increasing demand for sea transportation of the people of Mindoro and Starlite was the first to respond to this challenge.In September 2017, Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp., a logistics company owned by Filipino entrepreneur Dennis Uy under Udenna Corporation, acquired Starlite Ferries, Inc. from the Cusi family. Uy also owns Philippine interisland ferry companies Supercat [Fast Ferry Corporation] and Trans-Asia Shipping Lines.
In August 2018, Starlite Ferries became the first Philippine ferry company to operate the Japanese convenience store FamilyMart branches. Four of the company's RORO ferries, MV Starlite Pioneer, MV Starlite Jupiter, MV Starlite Pacific and MV SWM Salve Regina each opened a FamilyMart store on board. The first three ferries operate along the Batangas-Calapan route while the last ferry operates along the Batangas-Caticlan route. The opening of the convenience stores follows Starlite Ferries owner Dennis Uy's acquisition of the Philippine franchise of FamilyMart.
Routes
, Starlite Ferries serve the following destinations:Fleet
Current fleet
Starlite Ferries currently has a fleet of 17 RORO ferries, 1 high speed craft, and 1 cargo ship:Roll on/Roll off
- MV Starlite Annapolis
- MV Starlite Archer
- MV Starlite Eagle
- MV Starlite Ferry
- MV Starlite Jupiter
- MV Starlite Navigator
- MV Starlite Pacific
- MV Starlite Phoenix
- MV Starlite Polaris
- MV Starlite Pioneer
- MV Starlite Reliance
- MV Starlite Resilience
- MV Starlite Saturn
- MV Starlite Stella Maris
- MV SWM Stella Del Mar
- MV SWM Salve Regina
- MV Starlite Saga
- MV Starlite Venus
- MV Starlite Sprint 1
- MV Starlite Tamaraw
Former Fleet
- MV Starlite Atlantic
- MV Starlite Voyager
- MV Starlite Odyssey
- MV Starlite Neptune
- MV Starlite Polaris
- MV Starlite Ferry
- MV ''Starlite Juno''
Incidents and accidents
- On 26 December 2016, MV Starlite Atlantic sank off the coast of Tingloy, Batangas during the onslaught of Typhoon Nina (international name: Nock-ten). The vessel was anchored in Batangas Bay when the typhoon passed over it with winds of up to 185 km/h in the center and gusts of 215 km/h. The typhoon generated huge waves between six and eight meters in height, causing the vessel to come off its mooring and drift toward Tingloy where it sank. One person died and 18 were reported missing in the incident, while the Philippine Coast Guard rescued 15 out of the 34 crew.
- On 26 August 2022, MV Asia Philippines, a RORO ferry owned by Trans-Asia Shipping Lines, but operated by Starlite Ferries at the time of the incident, caught fire around 5:30 p.m., a few meters off the Port of Batangas in Batangas City. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, there were 82 passengers and 15 vehicles on board the vessel when it caught fire. There were no fatalities and all passengers and crew were rescued in the incident, although a 44-year-old woman was injured during the incident.