The Department of Science and Technology and the Guimaras State University is now in its last stages of construction of modern marine transport and will soon be ready for sea trial, an official said.

"We are looking forward to already transferring the vessel to the water this month, and subject it to sea trial by January next year, and regular testing by February," DoST Western Visayas Regional Director Rowen Gelonga said over the weekend.

"It's a 60-passenger capacity commercial vessel, which we hope to showcase as a very good alternative for our wooden-hulled motor bancas plying the Iloilo-Guimaras route," he added.

The DoST official also said that the vessel is compliant with national and international standards on marine safety that will also showcase local skills and ingenuity in building marine transport.

Following the ferry losses on the Iloilo Strait in August 2019 — where three traditional outrigger motorboats capsized and 31 people died — the DoST has been working with the then Guimaras State College and a private institution to develop an alternative to the wooden-hulled bancas.

The DoST-GSU collaboration is one of the three ongoing projects of the DoST, in partnership with state universities in the region and a private shipyard in Aklan, that aims to position Western Visayas as a hub for marine transport research and development.

The two others are a modern fishing vessel being developed with Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College as possible replacement for wooden-hulled fishing boats; and 150-seater hybrid trimaran being developed with Aklan State University that can also carry up to four vehicles.

DoST priority

Moreover, Gelonga said that maritime transport modernization is a priority of the DoST. He expressed hopes that other government agencies will extend their support in modernizing maritime transport in the Visayas, and eventually in the country.

He also expressed optimism about other research projects that DoST has partnered with other state universities and colleges in the region.

"I am very upbeat. We are really keen on developing our maritime transport sector and we would like to develop our local pharmaceuticals and drug companies in Western Visayas," Gelonga said.

"We would like to explore other economic sectors aside from the usual agriculture and food. These are two areas that we are very keen to develop in Western Visayas," he said.