COPIED FROM THE PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY

By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz  August 30, 2019, 9:05 pm

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  MANILA – The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) on Friday announced it has stopped the registration of new wooden-hull passenger bancas starting two weeks ago in support of the DOTr’s modernization plans for a safer maritime public transport industry.

MARINA officer-in-charge, Vice-Admiral Narciso Vingson made the move to phase out wooden-hull passenger bancas in compliance with a DOTr department order in 2016.

"Kasi kapag di namin ini-stop, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang paggawa ng wooden hull (Because if we don’t stop their registration, wooden-hull bancas will continue to be built)," Vingson said in an ambush interview after the Maritime Safety Summit for Domestic Shipping in a hotel in Manila.

Registered wooden-hull bancas will not be renewed either and only boats with hulls made of fiberglass or steel will be allowed.

"Existing wooden-hull boats with registration have an expiration of five years and after that, we will not be renewing [them]," Vingson said.

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To know more go to https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1079171

                                https://dailyguardian.com.ph/phase-out-starts-marina-stops-registration-of-wooden-hulled-boats/