MCC Transport Philippines Inc., a shipping company partly owned by the Aboitiz group, is planning to acquire a second vessel which will be used to serve several routes in the country.

According to a maritime official who refused to be identified, the company will acquire its second vessel possibly within the first half of the year.

“They are planning to have their second vessel that they will also register here,” said the official.

Meanwhile, an MCC executive based in Singapore confirmed that its first vessel, Medbay, has just been registered in the Philippines.

“Yes, we can confirm that the vessel Medbay is now registered in the Philippines as the MCC Sinag,” said Jay Krishnan, branding and communication officer of  Maersk Southeast Asia in an e-mail message to BusinessMirror.

“We prefer not to provide speculative commentary on this at this stage,” she added when asked about MCC’s initiative of having its second vessel in the Philippines.

MCC’s operations have been a boon for the movement of the country’s goods after the Aboitiz Transport System Corp. (ATSC), the Philippines’ largest shipping company, sold six of its vessels in half a year, creating a shortage of cargo carriers. As a result, other operators were unable to align their schedules to meet the growing demand caused by the shortage, according to some officials of  the Philippine Liner Shipping Association.

MCC’s operations caused a stir among local companies when the entity was allowed by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to extend its permit.

Earlier, Marina administrator Vicente Suazo Jr. said the extension ensures that the movement of containerized cargo would not be interrupted after vessel companies were unable to fill up the void left when the Aboitiz group sold its vessels.

“I will not sacrifice the movement of cargo. If there are other shipping lines that will offer their services in place of MCC Transport, I would grant them the permit,” Suazo said.

Created in May 2007, MCC Philippines is a joint-venture entity controlled by MCC Transport Singapore Pte., which holds a 40-percent stake. ATSC owns 33 percent of the company while Mercantile Ocean Maritime Co. controls the remaining 27 percent.

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MCC Transport Philippines Inc., a shipping company partly owned by the Aboitiz group, is planning to acquire a second vessel which will be used to serve several routes in the country.

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