Metrostar Ferry was a passenger

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

service across

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between t ...

between

Cavite City Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( fil, Lungsod ng Kabite, Spanish and cbk, Ciudad de Cavite), is a 4th class component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people. The city was the ...

and

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location jus ...

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

, Philippines. It is owned and operated by Metrostar Ferry, Inc. The route operated between terminals in San Roque, at the back of the Cavite City Hall, and

SM Mall of Asia SM Mall of Asia, also abbreviated as SM MoA, or simply Mall of Asia or MoA, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area within Manila Bay, and the ...

, adjacent to the Shrine of Jesus Church, in Bay City. It is serviced by four Filipino-designed ships, the ''Doña Carmen'', ''Doña Inez'', ''Doña Avelina'' and ''Doña Mercedes''. Built in 2006, these ships are twin-hull, twin-engine, fully air-conditioned fiberglass catamarans which can carry between 130 and 550 passengers. The ferry service ran four times a day and makes a crossing in 45 minutes. The single journey cost is per person, with a special discount rate of for senior citizens and students. The alternative drive from Mall of Asia to Cavite City is approximately two hours via the

Manila–Cavite Expressway The Manila–Cavite Expressway (more popularly known as CAVITEX), signed as E3 of the Philippine expressway network and R-1 of Metro Manila's arterial road network, is a controlled-access toll expressway linking Manila to the southern pro ...

. As of 2018, the ferry service is not in operation.

History

In 2006, Metrostar Ferry, Inc. secured a loan from the Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency (PhilEXIM) and the state-owned

Philippine Veterans Bank Philippine Veterans Bank, also known as PVB and Veterans Bank, is a commercial bank in the Philippines. The bank is owned by Philippine World War II war veterans and their families and caters to both corporate and retail financial markets. As par ...

to finance the project as part of the government's Manila Bay Transport Project. It purchased Filipino-designed catamarans made by shipbuilders in

Navotas Navotas, officially the City of Navotas ( fil, Lungsod ng Navotas), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 247,543 people. It is known as the ...

and

Malabon Malabon, officially the City of Malabon ( fil, Lungsod ng Malabon), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 380,522 people. Located just north ...

. Metrostar Ferry made its maiden voyage in July 2007. It was inaugurated on September 24, 2007 by the PhilEXIM. The company also plans to interconnect with the

Pasig River Ferry The Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS) is a public water bus service based in Metro Manila, the Philippines. It is currently the only water-based transportation service in Metro Manila that cruises the length of the Pasig River and Marikina River, ...

and open new routes from its Mall of Asia Terminal to Navotas,

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the enti ...

( Orion),

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...

( Hagonoy) and

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

( Guagua). Two ferry boats owned by Metrostar Ferry were destroyed by fire in 2015, while on dock at SM Mall of Asia. The incident was allegedly caused by a spark in one vessel's generator.

Fleet

Metrostar Ferry operated the following vessels (as of December 2012): * M/V Doña Adelina * M/V Doña Carmen * M/V Doña Ines * M/V Doña Mercedes

Ferry schedule

Metrostar Ferry Terminal at the Mall of Asia in Manila

* Mall of Asia to Cavite City :: 07:45 – 08:30 :: 11:00 – 11:45 :: 15:00 – 15:45 :: 18:30 – 19:15 * Cavite City to Mall of Asia :: 06:30 – 07:15 :: 09:30 – 10:15 :: 13:30 – 14:15 :: 16:30 – 17:15

References

{{Bay City Manila Ferry companies of the Philippines Ferry transportation in the Philippines Transportation in Metro Manila Transportation in Cavite