Wooden-hulled ships will not be accepted for registration, according to a new directive issued by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).
The directive is part of the Department of Transportation move to modernize the industry and ensure passenger safety at seas.
“We have to phase out the wooden-hulled… We issued directive na we will not anymore register ‘yung mga bagong wooden hull,” MARINA officer-in-charge Administrator Narciso Vingson Jr. said at the sidelines of the Maritime Safety Summit in Manila on Friday.
Vingson said they issued the directive two weeks ago.
“Kasi kapag di namin ini-stop tuloy tuloy pa rin ang paggawa ng wooden hull,” he said.
Vingson said that they will also stop the renewing the registrations of existing wooden-hulled passenger boats and simply wait for it to expire.
“Existing wooden-hulled boats with registration they have an expiration for five years and after that, we will not be renewing,” he said.