Lite Shipping Corporation

Lite Shipping Corporation, is a Cebu-based shipping line, that operates the Lite Ferries, a brand consisting of a fleet of 28 ships. The corporation has its origins from Bohol, and is the flagship company of Lite Holdings, Inc. At present, the corporation also owns and manages Danilo Lines, Inc. and Sunline Shipping Corporation.

History

The company was a wholly owned subsidiary of Lirio Enterprises, Inc., a general trading firm doing business nationwide. It started as a shipping division of the mother company in the middle of 1988 when it bought two vessels - the MV Sto. Niño de Soledad, a 500-ton DWT capacity steel-hulled vessel and the MV Sto. Niño, a wooden hull 200-ton capacity vessel. Initially, the cargo loaded was mostly goods traded by Lirio Enterprises, Inc. like salt, rice, cement, fertilizers, sugar, etc. Sometimes they would accept other cargoes for backload when the occasion demands it. This shipping division was spun off as a separate shipping corporation in July 1989 when the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission approved the Articles of Incorporation and by-laws of Lite Shipping Corporation.

The Lite Shipping Corporation fleet then consisted of 15 roll-on/roll-off vessels, 12 passenger vessels and 3 cargo ships. In November 1991, the corporation acquired its third vessel, the MV St. Gabriel, a steel-hulled 30-ton capacity cargo boat due to the strong demand for the smaller cargo vessel in the trading operation of the mother company. In January 1992, the company expanded into the cargo/passenger shipping business with the purchase of a 175 gross-ton roro car/truck carrier from the U.S. Navy, the LCT St. Mark. It has a capacity of four ten-wheeler cargo trucks, five cars and 50 to 70 passengers. It is the franchise holder for the Argao, Cebu to Loon, Bohol route as a daily car/truck ferry.

In November 2019 Lite Shipping Corporation bought the now-defunct George and Peter Lines it took over their routes and acquiring its vessels

Lite Shipping Corporation to Lite Ferries

In 2010, the Lite Shipping Corporation launched a new corporate brand name, along with a more contemporary and dynamic company logo, for all its vessels, now known as the Lite Ferries.

Lite Holdings, Inc.

Lite Holdings, Inc. was formed as a Holding Company with the following corporations under its umbrella:
# Lite Shipping Corporation also owns and manages Danilo Lines, Inc. and Sunline Shipping Corporation. The management team is headed by COO Engr. Fernando A. Inting and OIC Jonathan Lim-Imboy;
# Cebu Lite Trading, Inc. was established in 1991 as a distributor of local cement brands and is also engaged in the importation of rice from Vietnam and Thailand as well as a major cement importer. The OIC for Cebu Lite Trading is Rowena Imboy-Lim.
# Lirio Shipping Lines, Inc. started only recently, and is led by Raymund Lim-Revilles as the OIC and he has steered the company into a major provider of LCT barges for the Mining Industry. They are also into Ship Management.
# Lite Properties Corporation is the latest venture of Lite Holdings Group and is engaged in real estate development particularly economic and low cost housing as well as strip mall development in Cebu and in Bohol. OIC for Lite Properties is Atty. Dominique D. Lim and ably assisted by Rochelle Brigitte Lim-Imboy.
# Lou's Square Development Corporation operates the hotel and restaurant business of Soledad Suites in Tagbilaran City as well as Casa Filomena Resort in Panglao and Pamilacan Island Paradise, all in Bohol where the Lim Family traces their roots.

Fleet

Current Vessels

As of December 2024, Lite Ferries has a total of 29 passenger and cargo ferries and 2 Cargo RORO LCTs (LF 26 and LF 28).

Former Vessels

Ports of call and routes

Ports of call

Lite Ferries' main port of call is at the Port of Cebu City. Other ports of call are:

* Pulauan, Dapitan
*Dipolog
*Larena, Siquijor
*Mandaue
*Ormoc
*Naval, Biliran
*Plaridel, Misamis Occidental
*Samboan
* Oslob, Cebu
*San Carlos, Negros Occidental
*Sibulan, Negros Oriental
*Tagbilaran
*Toledo, Cebu
*Cagayan de Oro
*Jagna, Bohol
*Tubigon, Bohol
*Dumaguete
*Nasipit, Agusan del Norte
*Bogo, Cebu
*Calbayog
* Lipata, Surigao
*San Juan, Southern Leyte
*Matnog, Sorsogon
*Daanbantayan, Cebu
*San Juan, Batangas (soon)
*Caticlan, Aklan (soon)
* Ajuy, Iloilo (soon)
* Concepcion, Iloilo (soon)
*Manapla, Negros Occidental (soon)

Routes

At present, these are the routes (and vice versa) served by Lite Ferries:

*Cebu - Cagayan de Oro
*Cebu - Calbayog (via Bogo)
*Cebu - Dapitan
*Cebu - Naval, Biliran Province
*Cebu - Ormoc
*Cebu - Larena (via Tagbilaran)
*Cebu - Plaridel (via Tagbilaran and Larena)
*Cebu - Tagbilaran
*Cebu - Tubigon
*Toledo - San Carlos
*Mandaue - Tubigon
*Mandaue - Ormoc
*Tagbilaran - Larena
*Tagbilaran - Argao
*Tagbilaran - Plaridel
*Samboan - Dapitan
*Bato (Samboan, Cebu) - Sibulan
*Jagna - Cagayan de Oro
*Jagna - Nasipit
*Plaridel - Larena
*Oslob, Cebu - Dipolog
*Oslob, Cebu - Dumaguete - Dipolog/Dapitan
*Dumaguete - Cagayan de Oro
*Lipata - Cabalian
*Lipata - Liloan
*Bogo - Matnog, Sorsogon
*Daanbantayan, Cebu - Matnog, Sorsogon
*San Juan, Batangas - Caticlan (soon)
*Ajuy - Manapla (soon)
*Concepcion - Manapla (soon)

Incidents and accidents

* On August 28, 2019, ''M/V Lite Ferry 16'' caught fire near the engine room at Tag-ulo Point, about 3 kilometers off Pulauan Port in Dapitan with at least 4 passengers dead.
*On December 16, 2021, M/V Lite Ferry 10 capsized in the vicinity of Loon, Bohol caused by the strong winds of Typhoon Odette, the captain died but all crew members survived.
*On September 28, 2021, M/V ''Lite Ferry 3'' capsized in the vicinity of Ormoc. All crew survived but one lady died.
*On October 29, 2022, M/V ''Lite Ferry 1'' ran aground in Port of Jagna due to the strong winds of Typhoon Paeng. All crew and passengers are safe.
*On December 16, 2021, M/V ''Lite Ferry 18'' capsized in the vicinity of Balamban, Cebu Shipyard by leading a strong winds of Typhoon Rai, all crew are safe.
*On April 19, 2025, M/V ''Lite Ferry Five'' ran aground in shallow waters near Jagna Port, Bohol while maneuvering to depart for Cagayan de Oro. Fortunately, all 506 passengers and an unspecified amount of crew were reported safe, with no injuries. The incident occurred approximately 200 meters from the port. All passengers were rescued in a joint effort by the Philippine Coast Guard and local responders. Initial inspections indicate no major hull damage.

Sister companies

These are the shipping companies of Lite Shipping:
* Danilo Lines, Incorporated
* Sunline Shipping Corporation
* Lirio Shipping Lines, Incorporated
* FAL Shipping Corporation
* Cebu Lite Trading, Inc.
* Manila Heavy Equipment Corporation
* Soledad Suites
* Brewpoint Coffee Club
* Casa Felomina
* Pamilacan Island Paradise
* Bohol Yacht Club, Inc.
* Bohol Community Cable TV Systems, Inc.
* Bohol Pensioners Financing Corporation
* Next Models Management Inc.
* Lite Properties Corporation

References

See also

*Montenegro Lines
*Trans-Asia Shipping Lines
* Roble Shipping Inc.
*Aleson Shipping Lines
*

{{Transportation in the Philippines

Shipping companies of the Philippines
Companies based in Cebu City
Privately held companies of the Philippines