7/14/2019 Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway) http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/roll-on-roll-off-system-strong-republic-nautical-highway 1/27 GOVERNA A52 Strong Republic Nautical Highway: The Roll on/ Roll off (RO-RO) system Baleña, Raymond Ching, Catherine Anna Espiritu, Maria Nikka Guzman, Anne Clarisse 8/31/2010
27
Embed
Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway)
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
7/14/2019 Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway)
Archipelagic Southeast Asia (aSEA) covers five Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) member countries—Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and
Singapore—together with Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Timor-Leste.1 The aSEA region
includes the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area
(BIMP-EAGA) and the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT).
aSEA has a unique geography characterized by more than 24,000 islands spread across
5,200 km from east to west and 3,400 km from north to south. It has a population of over 350
million, 225 million of whom live in Indonesia with a further 87 million living in the Philippines
(Green, 2008).
To the inhabitants of the archipelago, the sea is at once a link and a barrier, as well as a
resource and a challenge. On the positive side of the ledger, the sea provides food and
employment, while the danger of an unsustainable marine environment and the fact that
proximity to the sea heightens vulnerability to national disaster are potential negatives.
Improved connectivity, especially through transport links, is an essential condition for
economic growth. Transport links not only provide physical access to resources, but also enable
producers to take advantage of opportunities in domestic and foreign markets, leading to
economies of scale and specialization.
At the grassroots level, local transport links—whether provided by road, rail, air or water
transport—are essential if local communities are to sell their produce in neighboring markets and
purchase a range of manufactured goods with the proceeds. The existence of local transport links
make possible specialization of production according to comparative advantage and facilitate the
emergence of a local and regional economy. In many areas of archipelagic Southeast Asia, poor
roads and non-existent rail communications mean that sea or river transport is required to access
local urban centers.
7/14/2019 Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway)
Highway on the other hand connects only four ports. One in Samar, Leyte, Sorsogon and in
Surigao del Sur.
The Western Nautical Highway
As mentioned earlier, there is a total of eight ports that are operating in this route. Ever since its
establishment in 2003, passenger and vehicle traffic have increased drastically. The people were
given a choice whether to travel by land and sea or by air. People who couldn’t afford airfares
could still travel through the Ro-Ro network.
*In millions. (Source – Phil. Port Authority)
The figure above indicates that there has been an increase the number of
passengers that have been using the Western nautical highway. The slight decrease
in 2006 may have been caused by the increase of transportation costs due to theincrease in oil prices. Not only did the number of passengers increase, but also the
number of vehicles passing through the nautical system. This is further
demonstrated by the figure below.
*in millions. (Phil. Port Authority)
7/14/2019 Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway)
production zone to consumption zone without the double handling at NCR . Since the RoRo
system eliminates the handling between ship and truck at the ports, duration of the transportation
can be drastically reduced. This means a truck can cover a wide area in other islands and this
encourages the suppliers to reduce the number of warehouses. This all the more justifies how
RoRo could bring down the prices of commodities. Moreover, the shortened transportation of
products can help avoid damaging the products brought about by an excessively long travel. The
consumers can assure that the commodities they purchase are of good quality . On the side of the
producers or suppliers, this means more profit and more willingness to manufacture their
products.
The innovation in the routes created by the RoRo transportation system has fortified theinter-island ad regional relations across the archipelago. RRTS has provided more convenience
not only for the passengers but for the transported goods as well . The RoRo ferry service
between Batangas City and Calapan, Mindoro which was operationalized in the 1970's has been
the food supplier to Metro Manila and rich in coastal resorts. The Mindoro-Panay RoRo ferry
link has given Panay Island full access to all the adjacent islands which make it possible to
deliver goods in a day.
Apart from cutting logistics costs of goods, the Roro system has also been instrumental in
opening up new markets, developing previously isolated island provinces, improving cargo
handling and efficiency in cargo delivery, and facilitating tourism development. The opening of
the Strong Republic Nautical Highways has not only linked the country’s major islands of
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, but has also had positive network effects on the economies of the
smaller islands along the major routes. In the case of Southeast Asia, the ADB said that Roro
networks could be centered on Java, Luzon, Bangkok, Singapore and Port Klang in Malaysia.
The tourism industry is also one of the sectors that has greatly benefited from RoRo . The
RoRo infrastructure has greatly boosted the growth of tourism in several areas covered by RoRo
services along the nautical highway. It is very accessible for travellers who want to enjoy the
tourist spots on islands where RoRo ports are situated. In example, the Batangas-Mindoro RoRo
7/14/2019 Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway)
system can enable the tourists to enjoy world-class beaches at Puerto Galera . The Dangay port in
Roxas, Oriental Mindoro serves as a springboard to the world-renowned Boracay Island in
Aklan. This also brings in more investments from wealthy foreigners who wish to build their
beach resorts in the Philippines. Since transportations costs are lower in RoRo, tourists and
travellers are more encouraged to use this as a mode of transportation . Not only will they be able
to save money, they will also save a lot of time to explore the wonders of the Philippines . RoRo
paves way for other scenic spots in the Philippines to be recognized and appreciated by visitors.
A boost in tourism also means an economic boost in the provinces who would be expecting more
travellers.
The development of RoRo ports serves as a catalyst for the development of their respective areas of influence. Ports as gateways facilitate the flow of goods and people . This
development could result in increased investments, production, employment, income,
consumption, savings and more tax revenues for LGUs. The commercialization of rural areas
means that there would be more efforts to beautify the area in order to attract more tourists.
Moreover, with products reaching more markets via RoRo, there is a greater incentive to produce
more and develop new products. With the expansion of the RoRo network, this experience can
be replicated in other areas situated along the nautical highways, especially in those poor
municipalities or provinces that are now linked with major market economies because of RoRo.
The establishment of the RoRo network has had a tremendous impact on many
companies which previously shipped via conventional shipping. The reduction in transport costs
couple with efficiency has transformed how companies and shippers transport their products
throughout the country. Since the RoRo system is emerging as a more efficient mode of
transportation, this poses a challenge to the shipping lines in terms of trade and passenger
transportation. In order to keep the shipping industry, it needs restructuring and it has to be more
competitive by trying to impose lower rates and more convenience in terms of transportation.
The full implementation of the RoRo transportation system will reduce cargo handling
costs and result in more efficient transport of goods . However, port workers who used to handle
7/14/2019 Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway)
cargo and related services may be adversely affected. The government has recognized this
potential problem and needs assistance in developing an action plan that provides a safety net for
affected port workers.
The team responsible for the implementation of the project was tasked to draft an action
plan outlining a program for affected port workers, including possible sources of funds to finance
the program.
An action plan was drafted by the team and was included in the original version of the
proposed Executive Order . The proposed program for displaced port workers was included in the
original draft of EO 170-B as one of its provisions.
Essentially, under the EO, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) shall collaborate with the
Office of Transport Cooperatives (OTC) of the DOTC in order to organize the port workers into
transport cooperatives so that they can participate in the RRTS as transport service providers .
Moreover, an amount of Php.100 M shall be allocated to finance the undertaking. The said
amount shall come from the PPA's port development fund. Port workers can avail of the fund via
soft loans. Another option for the port workers is that they can also put up a workers enterprise
where they can go into small business. The port workers may also undergo a retooling of skills
with the help of TESDA.
Government Policies
The government issued policies in order to enhance the Ro-Ro systems. First is that
PGMA directed DPWH to declare all roads connecting Ro-Ro terminals part of the Strong
Republic Nautical Highway as national roads. PGMA also issued EO 170-A which removed the
50- Nautical mile which basically made all the roads in the country part of the Ro-Ro operations.“This intervention is designed to improve the development and maintenance of roads forming the
national highway, eradicate illegal imposition of toll fees, as well as increase the participation
of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the strategic development of road
networks that will further expand the SRNH system.”(Agribusiness Week, 2008) She also
ordered that private ports be converted into commercial ports in order to support the
7/14/2019 Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway)
In the event of the hull being holed, the bulkheads will limit or delay the inrush of water,
resulting in the ship sinking slowly enough for the evacuation of those on board or even
preventing the ship from sinking at all.
With Ro-Ro ships the installation of unpierced transverse bulkheads is a major obstacle,at least on the upper “through” decks: the whole idea of the Ro-Ro ship depends upon being able
to drive cargo on to the ship at one end and off again at the other. The installation of fixed
transverse bulkheads would prevent this. Although Ro-Ros are all fitted with the watertight
collision subdivision, and engine-room bulkheads below the freeboard deck prescribed by
SOLAS, the huge vehicle decks make it possible for water to enter very rapidly and fire can also
spread very quickly for the same reason.
The fact that Ro-Ro ships generally have a very large superstructure compared with other types means that they can be more affected by wind and bad weather. The high sides of many
modern Ro-Ros, including passenger ships, pose problems regarding lifesaving appliances: the
higher a lifeboat, for example, is stowed the more difficult it can be to launch, especially if the
ship is listing badly.
These factors indicate that Ro-Ros are highly sophisticated ships which require very
careful handling. This makes them exceptionally vulnerable to human error.
With the government touting, and heavily promoting, the “Philippine nautical highway”
there is no better time than to seriously examine the long-term efficacy of the use of Ro-Ro
technology.With our domestic shipping firms deploying joint use ‘passenger-plus-cargo Ro-Ros,
the vessels are clearly playing the role of Grim Reaper in our inter-island waters
The trend towards liberalization in all transport services pervades the Philippine policy
framework. The major transformation however, is felt even more in domestic shipping than in
the overseas maritime transport services. This is because it is in domestic shipping that restrictive
policies have long been implemented. Nonetheless, review of the policy and regulatory regime
of the Philippine international maritime services is being undertaken. The perception that
investors tend to shy away from countries where doing business is deemed to be expensive
because of bureaucratic processes and incompetence serves as one of the basic premises from
which review of policies, laws and regulations is being drawn. Restrictive policies generally
7/14/2019 Roll on Roll off System (strong republic nautical highway)
______(2008). The RO-RO connection. Retrieved August 7, 2010 from Agri Business Week :http://www.agribusinessweek.com/the-ro-ro-connection-part-1/
_______(2010). The world bank. Transport in the Philippines. Retrieved last August 10,2010from http://go.worldbank.org/7T9R5GE2Q0.
ADB (2010,April). Bridges across oceans. Initial impact assessment of the Philippines nautical highway system and lessons for Southeast Asia. Retrieved last
August 10,2010 from http://www.adb.org/documents/reports/bridges-oceans/bridges-
oceans.pdf.
Basilico, E.L. (2008). Linking the Philippine Islands through Highways of the Sea. Manila.
Center for Research and Communication.
Faustino, J. (2010, May 25). Roro policy in the philippines: reform and development impact .
Retrieved from http://www.cleanairinitiative.org/.../Jaime_Faustino_ -
_RoRo_in_the_Philippines.pdf
Gamboa, R. (2010). Wishlist for domestic shipping. Retrieved August 7, 2010 from Bizlinks:
http://www.bizlinksphilippines.net./031210.html
Kobune, K. (2007). Feasibility assessment of RO-RO transport system in the Philippines from
the view inter-regional commodity flow. Retrieved August 7,2010 from Tripod :http://tssp.tripod.com/documents/16th_tssp/16th_kobune.pdf