The SuperCat Fast Ferry Corporation, commonly known as SuperCat, is a shipping company that operates a fleet of
high-speed catamaran
A Formula 16 beachable catamaran
Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States
A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...
s (HSC) in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. It is now part of Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corporation. Supercat was previously the sister company of
SuperFerry,
Cebu Ferries
Cebu Ferries was a shipping company based in Batangas City and Cebu City, Philippines. Its hubs were Batangas Port in Batangas and Pier 4 in Cebu City. It is now part of 2GO Travel.
Formerly the shipping company was a subsidiary of William Got ...
and
2GO Travel. Supercat operated 7 vessels in 7 ports around the Philippines.
Brief history
Batangas
Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...
-
Calapan
Calapan, officially the City of Calapan ( fil, Lungsod ng Calapan), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 145,786 people.
The city ser ...
route is one of the most important
shipping route
A sea lane, sea road or shipping lane is a regularly used navigable route for large water vessels (ships) on wide waterways such as oceans and large lakes, and is preferably safe, direct and economic. During the Age of Sail, they were determined ...
s in the Philippines. During the early 1990s, the route was dominated by a single large shipping company. Travelling during those days could take up to 3 hours and be uncomfortable. In 1994, Rodolfo G. Valencia, then Governor of
Oriental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro ( tl, Silangang Mindoro), officially the Province of Oriental Mindoro, is a province in the Philippines located on the island of Mindoro under Mimaropa region in Luzon, about southwest of Manila. The province is bordered by the ...
, invited the
Aboitiz Group to ply the route. His intention was to bring a more convenient and faster alternative to
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...
. Under the management of Universal Aboitiz Inc., M/V SuperCat 1, their pioneer vessel, traveled between Batangas and Calapan in only 45 minutes.
SuperCat added routes throughout the
Visayas
The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...
Region.
High-speed craft
A high-speed craft (HSC) is a high-speed water vessel for civilian use, also called a fastcraft or fast ferry.
The first high-speed craft were often hydrofoils or hovercraft, but in the 1990s catamaran and monohull designs become more po ...
s became popular in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. In 1997, Sea Angels (owned by
Negros Navigation
Negros Navigation Co., Inc. (NENACO) was one of the oldest domestic shipping companies in the Philippines. It was also one of the largest companies in the passenger transport business in the Philippines. Its main hub was the renowned Pier 2 in M ...
) merged with Universal Aboitiz and Hong Kong Park View Holdings to form the Philippine Fast Ferry Corporation.
[An assessment of Year One of the Aquino administration](_blank)
(30 June 2011)
philippinebusiness.com.ph
(archived fro
on 2011-07-22). SuperCat also acquired the 2 vessels of Waterjet Shipping Corporation (owned by Waterjet Netherlands Antilles). They renamed it as SuperCat 17 (former Waterjet 1, currently FastCat Ryde) and Supercat 18 (former Waterjet 2, currently FastCat Shanklin). The merger was eventually dissolved in 2002 and SuperCat became solely owned by Aboitiz. The abolition of the
WG&A merger then soon unraveled. SuperCat sacrificed some of its vessels and their corresponding routes in order to sustain its fast craft operations. SuperCat also
downsized from 200 to just 100 employees.
From the 1990s to early 2000s, all SuperCat vessels were waterjet-propelled. Due to economic problems, Aboitiz was forced sell ships reducing an original fleet of fourteen down to just seven.
To cope with the soaring fuel prices, SuperCat started replacing their previous fleet with more fuel-efficient vessels. At present, all jet-powered SuperCat HSC vessels were replaced by more fuel efficient vessels using a simple propulsion system.
[SuperCat buys new vessel for $1.7M](_blank)
(October 17, 2007)
supercat.com.ph
(archived fro
the original
on 2009-03-19).
Destinations
Current Destinations
*
Batangas City
Batangas City, officially the City of Batangas ( fil, Lungsod ng Batangas), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 351,437 people.
Batangas City i ...
,
Batangas
Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...
*
Bacolod
Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidenta ...
,
Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...
*
Calapan City
Calapan, officially the City of Calapan ( fil, Lungsod ng Calapan), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 145,786 people.
The city serv ...
,
Oriental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro ( tl, Silangang Mindoro), officially the Province of Oriental Mindoro, is a province in the Philippines located on the island of Mindoro under Mimaropa region in Luzon, about southwest of Manila. The province is bordered by the ...
*
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...
,
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
*
Iloilo City
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of t ...
,
Iloilo
Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...
*
Ormoc City
Ormoc (IPA: oɾˈmok, officially the City of Ormoc ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Ormoc; war, Syudad han Ormoc; fil, Lungsod ng Ormoc), is a 1st class independent component city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
,
Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
*
Tagbilaran City
Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tagbilaran), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,976 people.
Encompassing a l ...
,
Bohol
Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...
Active Routes
*Batangas - Calapan v v. (1 hour 10 minutes)
*Bacolod - Iloilo v.v. (1 hour)
*Cebu - Ormoc v v. (2 hours and 20 minutes)
*Cebu - Tagbilaran v v. (1 hour 45 minutes)
Fleet
The Supercat fleet was mainly composed of high-speed
catamaran
A Formula 16 beachable catamaran
Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States
A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...
s, but they also owned
monohull
right
A monohull is a type of boat having only one hull, unlike multihulled boats which can have two or more individual hulls connected to one another.
Fundamental concept
Among the earliest hulls were simple logs, but these were generally unst ...
ed vessels.
Vessels
St. Nuriel (formerly Supercat 22)
St. Nuriel used to be SuperCat 22 M/V Mt. Samat Ferry 3, which was operated by defunct Philippine fast ferry company, Mt. Samat. The Supercat 22 was built by FBMA Marine Inc. (an Aboitiz Company) in Balamban, Cebu. This vessel uses a simple propulsion system, and is very fuel efficient. In July 2010, she was added a second deck. She is currently serving the Batangas - Calapan route. On October 26, 2020, St. Nuriel capsized in Batangas port during the wrath of Typhoon Rolly.
St. Uriel (formerly SuperCat 23)
St. Uriel was the only high speed monohull vessel in the Supercat fleet. She uses a simple propulsion system and her fuel is efficient. She also offers an open deck accommodation at a more affordable price. She is currently in regular service on Bacolod - Iloilo route.
St. Sealthiel (formerly SuperCat 25)
St. Sealthiel used to be SuperCat 25 & M/V Mt. Samat Ferry 5, which was operated by defunct Philippine fast ferry company, Mt. Samat. She is a sister ship of Supercat 22 and was also built by FBMA Marine Inc. (an Aboitiz Company) in Balamban, Cebu. Similarly this vessel uses a simple propulsion system, and is very fuel efficient. She was renamed as M/V Smart in Korea, before ending up with Supercat Fast Ferry Corp. She is serving the Bacolod - Iloilo route.
St. Emmanuel (formerly SuperCat 26)
SuperCat 26 used to be SeaCat from Australia, traveling Perth to Rottnest Island. She has twin Caterpillar C32 engines and can cruise up to 28 knots. She's 25m in length. She is serving the Bacolod-Iloilo route in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.
St. Jhudiel (formerly SuperCat 30)
St. Jhudiel used to be SuperCat 30, one of Elbe City Jet's catamaran. She was named Hanseblitz from 1996 to 2001 and was reconfigured and elevated its Captain's bridge at Abeking & Rasmussen, and later on acquired by Transtejo in Lisboa, Portugal renamed Bairro Alto until early 2008. She has two decks. The upper deck offers business class accommodation. This vessel was built by Lindstol Skips, in Risor Norway. Unlike the other Supercat vessels, this vessel is equipped with controllable pitch propellers as its propulsion system. Supercat 32 is her sister ship. She is serving the Cebu - Ormoc - Cebu and Cebu - Tagbilaran - Cebu Route.
St. Braquiel (formerly SuperCat 32)
St. Braquiel used to be SuperCat 32, one of Elbe City Jet's catamaran. She was named Hansepfeil from 1996 to 2002 and was reconfigured and elevated its Captain's bridge at Abeking & Rasmussen, and later on acquired by Transtejo in Lisboa, Portugal renamed Parque das Nacoes until early 2008. She has two decks. The upper deck offers business class accommodation. This vessel was built by Lindstol Skips, in Risor Norway. Unlike the other Supercat vessels, this vessel is equipped with controllable pitch propellers as its propulsion system
Supercat 30is her sister ship. As of December 2018, she is currently serving in the Iloilo-Bacolod-Iloilo route.
St. Benedict (formerly SuperCat 36)
''St. Benedict'', formerly known as ''SuperCat 36'' and ''Blue Fin'', is one of three
Sydney JetCats purchased in 1990 for the
Manly service to replace
hydrofoils
A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...
. She operated from
Manly to
Circular Quay
Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...
from 1990 until 2008 before being sold to Supercat.
[Manly Jet Cat ''Sea Eagle'' living in Kazakhstan]
''Yacht & Boat'' 29 June 2011 She uses a
KAMEWA
AB Karlstads Mekaniska Werkstad (''trans.'' Karlstad Mechanical Works Ltd), known as Kamewa, was a Swedish manufacturing company in the city of Kristinehamn. Kamewa started as a brand name of the controllable-pitch propellers manufactured by KM ...
waterjet-propulsion and her maximum service speed can reach up to 31 knots.
[Jet Car Withdrawal and Manly Fast Ferry Commencement]
NSW Ministry of Transport
St. Dominic (formerly SuperCat 38)
''St. Dominic'', formerly known as ''SuperCat 38'' and ''Sir David Martin'', is one of three
Sydney JetCats purchased for the
Manly service to replace
hydrofoils
A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...
. She operated from
Manly to
Circular Quay
Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...
from 1990 until 2008 before being sold to Supercat.
[ She uses a ]KAMEWA
AB Karlstads Mekaniska Werkstad (''trans.'' Karlstad Mechanical Works Ltd), known as Kamewa, was a Swedish manufacturing company in the city of Kristinehamn. Kamewa started as a brand name of the controllable-pitch propellers manufactured by KM ...
waterjet-propulsion and her maximum service speed can reach up to 31 knots.[ On October 26, 2020, St. Dominic capsized in Batangas port during the wrath of Typhoon Rolly.
]
St. Camael and St. Sariel
In June 2017, Austal Philippines delivered the first of two 30-meter catamarans to SuperCat Fast Ferry Corporation, MV ''St. Camael''. Each of the high speed ferries can carry up to 300 passengers, and can cruise at 25 knots. In July 2017, St. Camael's sister ship, MV ''St. Sariel'', was also delivered. St. Camael commenced operations on the Cebu-Ormoc route, while St. Sariel serves the Cebu-Tagbilaran route.
As of May 2021, St. Camael is now serving the Iloilo-Bacolod route.
Sprint 1
Former vessels
*Supercat 1 (sank-off en route to Calapan City, Mindoro)
*Supercat - I (sold to Emeraude Lines renamed as NORMANDIE EXPRESS, later renamed as Moorea Express)
*Supercat 2 (sold to Korean Shipping Company KOREA EXPRESS FERRY CO., Ltd, renamed as Korea Express)
*Supercat 3 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services. The company mainly operates car ferries on ...
, renamed as Karolina )
*Supercat 5 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services. The company mainly operates car ferries on ...
, renamed as Judita)
*Supercat 6 (sold to Moreton Bay Whale Watching, sold to Seo Kyung Korea renamed as Gold Coast)
*Supercat 7 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services. The company mainly operates car ferries on ...
, renamed as Novalja)
*Supercat 8 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services. The company mainly operates car ferries on ...
, renamed as Dubravka)
*Supercat 9 (sold to Croatian Shipping Company, renamed as Bisovo)
*Supercat 10 (sold to Korean Shipping Company WONDERFUL ISLAND CO., renamed as Mosulpo 1 (모슬포1호))
*Supercat 11: St. Raphael (sold to Italian Shipping Company Ustica
Ustica (; scn, Ùstica) is a small Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is about across and is situated north of Capo Gallo, Sicily. Roughly 1,300 people live in the ''comune'' (municipality) of the same name. There is a regular fer ...
Lines, renamed as Federica M)
*Supercat 12: St. Gabriel (sold to Italian Shipping Company Ustica
Ustica (; scn, Ùstica) is a small Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is about across and is situated north of Capo Gallo, Sicily. Roughly 1,300 people live in the ''comune'' (municipality) of the same name. There is a regular fer ...
Lines, renamed as Gabrielle M)
*Supercat 17 (sold to Wightlink
Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes across The Solent between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the south of England. It operates car ferries between Lymington and Yarmouth, and Portsmouth and Fishbourne and a fast passenger-only ...
for use between Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and Ryde
Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...
, Renamed as FastCat-Ryde. Sold to Alien Shipping, renamed as Sochi-1)
*Supercat 18 (sold to Wightlink
Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes across The Solent between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the south of England. It operates car ferries between Lymington and Yarmouth, and Portsmouth and Fishbourne and a fast passenger-only ...
for use between Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and Ryde
Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...
, Renamed as FastCat-Shanklin. Sold to Alien Shipping, renamed as Sochi-2)
*Supercat 20 (sold to South African Shipping Company FakoShip, renamed as Endurance)
*Supercat 21 (returned to her lessor )
*Supercat 2001/Tricat 50 (sold, renamed as SEA POWER 1)
Supercat 2002
(sold to a Dutch Shipping Company, renamed a
Tiger
Trivia
*In September 1994, M/V SuperCat 1 sank near Verde Island. There were no casualties. All passengers were rescued by another RORO vessel. There were speculations that the vessel was sabotaged. It was not proven though.
SuperCat 6
was the smallest SuperCat vessel
*In commemoration of the Philippine Independence Centennial, SuperCat repainted some of its vessels with a
Philippine Flag Livery
.
TriCat 50
was renamed a
SuperCat 2001
*SuperCat had already owned three (3) mono hull fast crafts (namely S
20
21
& 23) in its history.
*The brand "SuperCat" was derived from two words, "SUPER" and "CATamaran"
*Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan ( , ; born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, television host, and socialite. Regarded as one of the most successful and highest-earning individuals in the Philippine entertainment industry, she has ...
filmed SuperCat's TV Ad in both Batangas City
Batangas City, officially the City of Batangas ( fil, Lungsod ng Batangas), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 351,437 people.
Batangas City i ...
and Calapan City
Calapan, officially the City of Calapan ( fil, Lungsod ng Calapan), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 145,786 people.
The city serv ...
. The Ad was only advertised on board and through local cable networks TV Ad in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro
Roxas, officially the Municipality of Roxas, is a 2nd class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It has a population of 58,849 according to the 2020 census.
History ...
and Iloilo City
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of t ...
.
*SuperCat used to have its own exclusive terminal and docking area in Calapan
Calapan, officially the City of Calapan ( fil, Lungsod ng Calapan), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 145,786 people.
The city ser ...
. This was built after the loss of SuperCat 1 where sabotage was suspected. The terminal was eventually demolished after a bigger and better public terminal was opened for use in the second quarter of 2010.
*SuperCat was sued for mandating an additional terminal fee on top of the fare in Calapan
Calapan, officially the City of Calapan ( fil, Lungsod ng Calapan), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 145,786 people.
The city ser ...
, for use of their newly constructed exclusive terminal. SuperCat was then forced to remove the terminal fee.
*The catamaran Judita, formerly SuperCat 5, is now labeled as the "Pope's Catamaran". Pope John Paul II rode Judita from Omišalj to Rijeka in his visit to Croatia
See also
* SuperFerry
* Montenegro Lines
*Cebu Ferries
Cebu Ferries was a shipping company based in Batangas City and Cebu City, Philippines. Its hubs were Batangas Port in Batangas and Pier 4 in Cebu City. It is now part of 2GO Travel.
Formerly the shipping company was a subsidiary of William Got ...
*Negros Navigation
Negros Navigation Co., Inc. (NENACO) was one of the oldest domestic shipping companies in the Philippines. It was also one of the largest companies in the passenger transport business in the Philippines. Its main hub was the renowned Pier 2 in M ...
* Roble Shipping Inc.
*List of shipping companies in the Philippines
This is a list of current and former shipping companies authorized by the Maritime Industry Authority of the Philippines:
References
{{Transportation in the Philippines
Shipping companies
Philippines
Shipping
Freight transport, ...
References
External links
Aboitiz Transport sale: hard decision after marking 100 yrs
(archived fro
on 2009-06-26)
*http://www.supercat.com.ph/index.asp
{{Transportation in the Philippines
Ferries of the Philippines
Ferry companies of the Philippines
Shipping companies of the Philippines
Transportation in Cebu
Companies based in Cebu City
Defunct transportation companies of the Philippines