SuperFerry
SuperFerry, founded as Aboitiz Shipping Company, later Aboitiz SuperFerry was one of the largest ferry companies in the Philippines before it was purchased by Negros Navigation, which simultaneously was purchased by the Chinese government through its private equity fund the China-Asean Investment Cooperation Fund, and became 2GO Travel, part of the 2GO Group.
The shipping company was known in the 1990s as William, Gothong & Aboitiz. Aboitiz bought out the William Lines and Gothong Lines Group. The Gothong Group restarted its own shipping company called Carlos A. Gothong Lines, while the William Group opted to concentrate on its logistics, warehousing, and courier business, called Fast Logistics. SuperFerry and its sister companies SuperCat and Cebu Ferries are owned and operated by the former Negros Navigation when Negros Navigation bought all of Aboitiz Transport System, was sold to China-Asean Investment Cooperation Fund, and relaunched as 2GO Travel in 2012.
Destinations
The following the ports of call were served by SuperFerry:[Luzon]
- Manila
- Batangas City, Batangas
[Visayas]
- Bacolod, Negros Occidental
- Caticlan Jetty Port, Malay, Aklan
- Cebu City, Cebu
- Iloilo City, Iloilo
- Ormoc City, Leyte
- Tagbilaran City, Bohol
[Mindanao]
- Nasipit, Agusan del Norte
- Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental
- Iligan City, Lanao del Norte
- Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
- Surigao City, Surigao del Norte
- Zamboanga City, Zamboanga
- Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte
Vessels
WG&A SuperFerry fleet
- SuperFerry 1 - Former SuperFerry fleet; was acquired and renamed M/V St. Rita de Casia by 2GO Travel and eventually sold to an Indonesian shipping company and was renamed KM Mutiara Persada 1.
- SuperFerry 2 - Former SuperFerry fleet; was acquired and renamed M/V St. Thomas Aquinas by 2GO Travel; collided with M/V Sulpicio Express Siete of the former Sulpicio Lines, August 16, 2013, and sank near Talisay in Cebu Province.
- SuperFerry 3 - Lost due to fire incident; in 2000, while the vessel was undergoing ship repairs in Keppel Cebu Shipyard, hot works on certain parts of the ship started a fire and caused evasive damages, effectively gutting the whole vessel. WG&A later held the shipyard owners liable for the incident.
- ' - Acquired by 2GO Travels and renamed M/V St. Joan of Arc; was retired from service and currently laid up
- SuperFerry 6 - Former Our Lady of Akita of Gothong Lines, was acquired and renamed SuperFerry 6 after the merge into WG&A. In 2000, an engine fire on its starboard side swept the ship while en route to Manila from General Santos City, October 2000; all of the 862 passengers and 168 crew were saved and the fire brought under control, but the ship was a total loss.
- ' - Former Naminoue Maru of A" Line shipping in Japan, and built in 1980, she was sold to William Lines in 1994 and renamed the Mabuhay 2; later becoming a part of the WG&A fleet as part of the William, Gothong, and Aboitiz Shipping lines merger and was renamed SuperFerry 7. She was eventually lost to an extensive fire incident in 1997, wherein the whole vessel was gutted due to a presumed electrical fire while docked at Pier 4; same incident that would happen to its sister ship SuperFerry 3 later in 2000, but this time, was caused by hot works around the ship. She only spent 3 years sailing under the Philippine flag after the acquisition from Japan.
- SuperFerry 8 - Former Mabuhay 3 of William Lines, Renamed SuperFerry 19 in 2004; was eventually sold to breakers
- SuperFerry 9 - Built in 1986 by Usuki Iron Works Ltd. at Saiki, Japan, and launched as the Ariake, it was then converted in 1995 for William Lines Incorporated and renamed Mabuhay 5. In 1996, the ship was renamed SuperFerry 9 and has been operated by Aboitiz Transport System Corp since that time. It was known to be a problematic ship, with several engine problems causing delays and stranding of passengers. In 2009, due to a presumed rough sea conditions and shifting of cargo containers below decks, it capsized off the southwest coast of Zamboanga Peninsula while en route from General Santos City to Iloilo and sank almost 5 hours after the first distress call sent by the captain. All 968 passengers and crew were accounted for. There were 10 fatalities.
- ' - Built in 1973 as the ', one of the legendary Sun Flower ships of Japan's Blue Highway Line, she was acquired and became the flagship of William Lines as the Mabuhay 1, part of their luxury liners to compete with former rival Sulpicio Lines. After the merge, she became WG&A's flagship and was renamed SuperFerry 10. She was eventually sold to breakers in China in 2002, still in perfectly good working condition, as a casualty of WG&A's liquidation of ships after the merger break-up. She only managed to sail for 9 years in Philippine waters after the William Lines acquisition.
- SuperFerry 11 - Renamed Our Lady of Banneux and transferred to SuperFerry's subsidiary, Cebu Ferries; sold and broken up in 2003
- SuperFerry 12 - Renamed M/V St. Pope John Paul II and is the current flagship of 2GO Travel. SuperFerry 12 and M/V Princess Of the Universe of Sulpicio Lines are both acquired by Sulpicio Lines before SuperFerry 12 was sold to WG&A in 1999 and renamed Aboitiz SuperFerry 12. She was involved in a collision with the passenger-cargo boat M/V San Nicholas in 2003. It was repaired and is as a passenger Ro-Ro and cargo vessel under 2GO Travel.
- ' - Built in 1981, she entered service under WG&A in October 2000 and was advertised as a "Festival" ship for her many on-board amenities. On February 27, 2004, at around 12:50 midnight, while the ferry was sailing from Manila bound for Cagayan de Oro, an explosion tore through the vessel, starting a fire that engulfed the ship and caused most of the fatalities. The ferry later , further hampering rescue and retrieval operation of survivors and missing persons. Upon investigation, a Rajah Sulaiman Movement member confessed to planting a bomb which was triggered by a timing device on board for the Abu Sayyaf group, confirming a terrorist attack. The disaster was featured in various international news and media due to its magnitude and terrorism nature. All in all, of the 899 recorded passengers and crew on board, there were 116 fatalities, 53 remained missing and presumed dead. The ship was deemed a total loss by the company.
- '
- SuperFerry 16 - Renamed M/V St. Therese of the Child Jesus and is under 2GO Travel
- '
- SuperFerry 18
- SuperFerry 19 - Former SuperFerry 8; is no longer in service and sold to breakers
- ' - Formerly M/V Sunflower Kogane acquired from Diamond Ferry and was renamed M/V St. Gregory the Great under Negros Navigation, and later under 2GO Travel; ran aground in Iloilo and sold to breakers
- ' - Formerly M/V Sunflower Nishiki from Kansai Kisen Co., Ltd.; was acquired by Negros Navigation and renamed to M/V St. Leo the Great, is under 2GO Travel
- M/V Doña Virginia
- M/V Our Lady of Naju
- M/V Our Lady of Sacred Heart
- M/V Our Lady of Lipa
- M/V Our Lady of Medjugorje'''
Negros Navigation fleet
- ' - The former flagship of Negros Navigation and was considered the largest among its fleet; was acquired and is under 2GO Travel
- ' - Former fleet of Negros Navigation acquired by 2GO Travel; was retired and sold to breakers
- - Former fleet of Negros Navigation acquired by 2GO Travel; was retired and sold to breakers
- M/V St. Ezekiel Moreno
- M/V St. Francis of Assisi
- M/V Mary, Queen of Peace
- M/V San Lorenzo Ruiz
- M/V San Paolo
- Container Ship San Sebastian
- M/S Santa Florentina
- M/S Santa Maria
- M/S Princess of Panay
- M/S Princess of Negros
- M/V Cebu City
- M/V Misamis Occidental
- M/V Connie I
- M/V Connie II
- M/V Don Julio
- M/V Don Claudio
- M/V Don Juan
- M/V Don Vicente
- M/V Doña Monserrat
- M/V Doña Florentina
Cebu Ferries fleet
- M/V St. Augustine of Hippo - Former Cebu Ferry 1 from Cebu Ferries, was acquired by and is under 2GO Travel
- M/V St. Anthony de Padua - Former Cebu Ferry 2 from Cebu Ferries, was acquired by and is under 2GO Travel
- M/V St. Ignatius of Loyola - Former Cebu Ferry 3 from Cebu Ferries, was acquired by and is under 2GO Travel
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Our Lady of Good Voyage - Former Cebu Ferries fleet; was sold to Gothong Southern and renamed M/V Doña Conchita Sr.; later sold to Trans-Asia Shipping Lines and was renamed Trans-Asia 9
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Our Lady of Montserrat
- Our Lady of Manaoag
- Our Lady of Fatima
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Our Lady of the Rule
SuperCat fleet
- Supercat - I
- Supercat 1
- Supercat 2
- Supercat 3
- Supercat 5
- Supercat 6
- Supercat 7
- Supercat 8
- Supercat 9
- Supercat 10
- Supercat 11
- Supercat 12
- Supercat 17
- Supercat 18
- Supercat 20
- Supercat 21
- Supercat 23
- Supercat 2001
- Supercat 2002
Incidents and accidents
- On October 12, 2000, SuperFerry 6 caught fire on its starboard panel and sank. More than 1,000 passengers were rescued.
- On February 27, 2004, SuperFerry 14 was bombed by the Abu Sayyaf terrorists killing 116 people. It was considered as the worst terrorist attack in the Philippines.
- On March 9, 2006, SuperFerry 12 caught fire off the coast of Bantayan Island. None of the 664 passengers were injured.
- On September 6, 2009, SuperFerry 9 reported engine trouble while on its way to the port of Iloilo from General Santos. The ship then listed to a 30–40 degree angle, and at 2am the captain of the vessel ordered to abandon ship. It later sank off the southern Zamboanga Peninsula with more than 966 people on board. 957 people have been rescued but there are also 9 fatalities.
- On August 16, 2013, the cargo ship Sulpicio Express Siete collided with the ferry St. Thomas Aquinas, sinking it in 100 feet deep waters off Talisay City in Cebu province. There were 831 people on board. Initial reports indicated over 600 were rescued, with 31 confirmed dead and 172 missing.