Cebu-based ship builder signs contract to build 5 luxury yachts for Jeju Sea World

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY— SEALS Boatyard Inc., a Cebu-based marine vessel building company under the SEALS Group of Companies signed a contract Wednesday, July 27 with Jeju Sea World from Jeju Island South Korea to build five luxury 14-meter Catamaran yachts with a delivery scheduled for 2023.

Engr. Doyle Figueras, CEO of SEALS Boatyard Inc. described this event a milestone for Cebu’s shipping industry and the Philippines, showcasing the Filipino’s craftsmanship in building luxurious boats and yachts.  The 14m yacht will be brought to Korea, bringing this product to the Southeast Asian region.

“We are not only bringing our product out of the country but also to introduce that we Cebuanos can produce world class yachts.  Cebuanos are quite known as crafters such as guitars and furniture and now we include the craftmanship of Cebuano builders to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and other countries in SEA, we can bring our world class yacht to the world,” Figueras said.

Figueras said catamaran is a Tamil word that means twin hull boat or Yacht. Seals Boatyard will build five of these yachts with two cabins on a 250-350 horsepower vessel to be delivered via Subic to Taiwan to South Korea. The outfitting and interiors of these yachts will be done by a group also from Cebu.

The engineering department of Seals does the ship management from design to building the luxurious yacht for Jeju Sea World with its CEO Hong Chol, a personal client of Seals Boatyard four years back.  To build one Catamaran yacht with 30 passengers can cost P20-25 million and takes six to seven months to build it, Figueras bared.

According to Engr. Tony Dupal-ag of SEALS Boatyard Inc., South Korea is becoming a recognized developing destination in the yacht charter world with the growing number of tourists who visits South Korea. In Jeju Island alone, the demand for marina tourism is rapidly increasing to which the country is also expanding its marinas to cope with growing market.

Upon knowing and learning about the growing tourism market, Jeju Sea World sees the opportunity for a promising maritime industry market that led them to expand and to build yachts.

“The scenic route with the rising sun that blazes on the far-off horizon dyes the sea red and fascinates viewers with breathtaking view of natural wonder has attracted both tourists and residents at Jeju Island.  With the growth of the maritime industry that looks promising made us feel excited about it to expand our operations and to have yachts built.”, the CEO of Jeju Sea World Hong Chol said.

Meet the builders of this 14m luxury Catamaran yacht

SEALS Boatyard Inc., is a Philippines MARINA Class C accredited marine vessel builder under the umbrella of the SEALS Group of Companies. It is a local boat builder with shipyard situated in Luyang, Carmen, Cebu that can design and build your dream marine vessel using state-of-the-art technology.

According to Dupal-ag, the contract signing on July 27 in Cebu, Philippines marks another major step towards achieving set goals for Jeju Sea World. It also underlines the yacht owner’s appreciation and trust on the Naval Architects and Marine Engineers of SEALS Boatyard Inc. for its expertise and product quality.

Dupal-ag said that a 14m Catamaran yacht is the first luxury yacht built by SEALS Boatyard for a 14m international standard Catamaran for a five units’ series of vessels for Jeju Sea World. The Boatyard has already delivered two Waterbus with a 60-pax passenger ferry capacity for Caticlan-Boracay Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CBTMPC) and 10 more are on the drawing board for this year for their fleet requirements.

SEALS Boatyard Inc. has also completed and delivered the first Topline Seabus of a 150-passenger ferry that will be servicing the Mactan Channel commuters of Cebu and Mactan Island, with three units for construction this year and another six units in 2023.

Being able to build and produce passenger ferry boats and motor boats for business owners and locals of the Philippines and to be recognized is already an achievement for SEALS Boatyard Inc. that is proudly locally designed and made in Cebu, Philippines, Dupal-ag added.

Figueras on the other hand said they are happy and excited about this project with Jeju Sea World on building a 14-meter Catamaran Yacht for an international standard yacht. 

“We are thrilled to represent the Philippines in the international maritime industry as a reliable marine vessel builder and we would be proud to say that it will be Filipino made with international standards quality vessel,” he added.

He noted that the opportunity is not solely for the company’s advantage but to the Filipinos especially to the locals of Cebu, because with their series of scheduled marine vessels to build, they are providing work opportunity moreover, be able to create opportunities for careers in the maritime boat building industry.

SEALS Boatyard Inc. aspires to be the leading and sought-after marine vessel builder in the Philippines providing the locals and international market of quality global standard products with exemplary services, Figueras concluded. (photos: mbcnewman/Google Images)