Motor Tanker Mayabong was launched on Friday, January 26, 2024 at the Herma Shipyard in Mariveles, Bataan at 9:45 in the morning, in anticipation of a good high tide. The oil tanker has a 12 mega barrel self-propelled hull or a capacity of about 2,200 cubic meters, and a length of about 77 meters or 254 feet. The tanker is designed to handle a maximum of three (3) grades of petroleum products simultaneously.

To date, Herma Shipyard has built 11 internationally classed, double bottomed, double hulled tankers to service the Philippines’ major oil companies.

The launching was hosted by Herminio S. Esguerra, Chairman and CEO of the Herma Group of Companies, who gave an inspirational speech to the guests and crew. The most touching message was that all the work of this ship was done in the Philippines, meaning, the workers had the benefit of being with their family and loved ones. This is in stark contrast to OFWs who work outside the country for months or years on end, and do not have that luxury. Most of all, the OFWs build ships for other countries, not their home country. Herma Shipyard has committed to keep their workers intact with their family. At the reception, there was a large group of female singers and bamboo xylophone performers, the Banda Kawayan Ensemble of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP Campus Bataan) to serenade the attendees. At the ceremony launching, Herminio “Hermie” Esguerra led the team to christen the hull by swinging a bottle of wine onto the hull of M/Tkr Mayabong. It was a good omen when the bottle broke, just as “Mayabong” translates to fruitful and bountiful in deep Tagalog parlance. The guests were in their best spirits, amazed at an even bigger tanker concurrently being built at a drydock right next to M/Tkr Mayabong, which was at the slipway.

Herma Shipyard, as a leader in local shipbuilding, has proven once again that the Philippine maritime industry has the capability to build ships with excellence. M/Tkr Mayabong is set out to be an oil cargo ship carrier to service the country’s inter-island oil requirements. Herma Shipyard no doubt will bring much-needed growth and development into the Philippine maritime sector.
Source: Herma Shipyard