Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (Cebu), Inc. has delivered a locally built, 17,000 DWT general cargo vessel from its Balamban shipyard, securing a vital supply line to transport shipbuilding materials exclusively from Japan to the Philippines.

The vessel, M/V Serene Grace, represents a major milestone for Tsuneishi's domestic operations, proving the shipyard's capacity to build international-grade ocean-going vessels that directly feed its own regional manufacturing pipeline.

The deployment highlights a critical shift away from foreign leasing toward local ownership and production, according to the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

​MARINA Administrator Sonia Malaluan, together with agency officials and guests, marks the delivery of the locally built 17,000 DWT cargo vessel, M/V Serene Grace, at the Tsuneishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Cebu. PHOTO FROM MARINA

"M/V Serene Grace may be one vessel, but she is the start," said Marina Administrator Sonia Malaluan, who served as the vessel’s Principal Sponsor. "She is the proof that Philippine shipping companies can own and operate ocean-going vessels constructed right here in the Philippines."

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Built for Serene Breeze Shipping Corporation and Kambara Kisen, the vessel flies the Philippine flag and is manned entirely by a 20-person Filipino crew.

Tsuneishi-Cebu delivers 17,000 DWT cargo vessel to secure Japan-PH supply chain

Genivi Verdejo

Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (Cebu), Inc. has delivered a locally built, 17,000 DWT general cargo vessel from its Balamban shipyard, securing a vital supply line to transport shipbuilding materials exclusively from Japan to the Philippines.

The vessel, M/V Serene Grace, represents a major milestone for Tsuneishi's domestic operations, proving the shipyard's capacity to build international-grade ocean-going vessels that directly feed its own regional manufacturing pipeline.

The deployment highlights a critical shift away from foreign leasing toward local ownership and production, according to the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

"M/V Serene Grace may be one vessel, but she is the start," said Marina Administrator Sonia Malaluan, who served as the vessel’s Principal Sponsor. "She is the proof that Philippine shipping companies can own and operate ocean-going vessels constructed right here in the Philippines."

Built for Serene Breeze Shipping Corporation and Kambara Kisen, the vessel flies the Philippine flag and is manned entirely by a 20-person Filipino crew.

Malaluan led the traditional rope-cutting ceremony alongside Marina Chief of Staff Ramon Hernandez and Regional Director Ronaldo Bandalaria, marking a key achievement in the country's push to boost its global shipbuilding registry.

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marking a key achievement in the country's push to boost its global shipbuilding registry.