Roble Shipping Explained

Roble Shipping INC.
Type:	Private
Founder:	Jose L. Roble
Key People:	Joy Roble
Location City:	North Reclamation Area, Cebu City
Area Served:	Philippines
Location Country:	Philippines
Industry:	Shipping
Services:	Passenger and cargo transport
Homepage:	http://www.robleshipping.com/

Roble Shipping Inc. is a Cebu-based shipping line located in Cebu City, Philippines. The company was founded by Jose Roble, a native of Danao, Cebu.

History

Established on February 20, 1985, it started with a small cargo vessel called MV Marao plying from Cebu to Iloilo containing rice and mixed cargo materials. Roble Shipping Inc. is now one of the major players in the Leyte and Samar routes. The shipping line has seven-passenger vessels of which five are roll-on/roll-off vessels, ten cargo vessels and four barges and tugboats.^[1] The founder and owner of Roble Shipping Inc., Jose L. Roble, Passed away on September 11, 2009, at the Cebu Doctors' University Hospital at the age of 62.All of his sons and daughters now play important roles in steering the company.

The Duranos also helped in the early years in establishing the company.

In 2010, Roble Shipping Inc. moved all its operations to their new headquarters in Pier 7.

Passenger fleet

MV Immaculate Stars
MV Theresian Stars^[2] (ex-Cagayan Princess)
MV Joyful Stars^[3] (ex-Cebu Princess)(at F.F Cruz wharf)
MV Ocean Stars *formerly Blessed Stars* (On renovation)
MV Beautiful Stars
MV Graceful Stars

LCT (Landing Craft Tank):

MV LCT Stars
MV LCT Stars II

Cargo Ships

MV Star Zamboanga
MV Star Ormoc
MV Star Hilongos
MV Star Ozamis
MV Star Danao
MV Star Davao
MV Star Iligan
MV Star Dinagat

Former Vessels:

MV Marao
MV Heaven Star
MV Ormoc Star (still at FF Cruz Wharf)
MV Oroquieta Stars
MV Guada Cristy
MV Cebu Diamond
MV Wonderful Stars
MV Sacred Stars
MV Blessed Stars
MV Hilongos Diamond
MV Superjoy (Fastcraft) (Can only be used during Fluvial Procession of Santo Nino de Cebu Sinulog Festival)
MV Jacqueline Star
MV Star Sabang

New/Future Vessels:^[4]

MV Almighty Stars
M/V Gracious Stars *formerly Sacred Stars* (Also Transferred to Star Philippines Shipping Line)
MV Glorious Stars *formerly Wonderful Stars* (Under renovation)
MV Claudine Stars (Transferred to Star Philippines Shipping Line, Roble Shipping's Sister Company. Now Serving the Cebu-Tacloban, Leyte route)

Ports of call

Roble Shipping Inc. main port of call is Cebu City.

Other ports of call:

Former Ports

Routes

Cebu-Ormoc: MV Theresian Stars
Cebu-Hilongos: MV Graceful Stars / MV Immaculate Stars / MV Joyful Stars
Cebu-Baybay: MV Beautiful Stars

Incidents

M/V Hilongos Diamond sunk within the Bato, Leyte Port
January 3, 2008 - The MV Heaven Star of the Roble Shipping Lines left Ormoc City about 11 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Cebu City port at 3 pm. The vessel stopped off Isabel town in Leyte at noon. The vessel suffered a mechanical problem after seawater got into its bunker fuel. The company's other vessel M/V Wonderful Stars followed up to M/V Heaven Star's location to tow it.^[5]
MV Wonderful Star collided with a foreign-owned cargo vessel MCC Sulo at 1:20 am. Saturday around 4.5nmi from Liloan town, some 19 kilometers north of Cebu City. The MV Wonderful Star's port side (left side) catwalk railings were slightly damaged while MCC Sulo's starboard (right) bow had a slight scratch.^[6]
On December 2, 2009 - M/V Wonderful Stars had a collision with a passenger-cargo vessel M/V Subic Bay 1 of the late Carlos A. Gothong Lines. The said vessel had gone sideways and sustained damages estimated to be within P600,000 to P700,000.^[7]
MV Wonderful Stars caught fire in the port of Ormoc City, Leyte last August 15, 2015. No casualties was reported ^[8]
LCT Jacqueline Star half-submerged due to onslaught of Tropical Storm Dante on June 2, 2021 in Albuera, Leyte. No casualties reported ^[9]
MV Oroquieta Stars capsized near Liloan, Cebu during the onslaught of Typhoon Odette on December 16, 2021
MV Star Sabang capsized in Bayangan Island, Labason, Zamboanga del Norte on January 15, 2024 while sailing from Cebu City bound to Zamboanga City onboard 13 crews and loaded 20,000 sacks of cement.
M/V Immaculate Stars, Collided with the M/V Doña Caroline Joy of Gothong Southern on March 15, 2024. Both ships suffered damages.

External links

http://www.cebuboattrips.com/slow_ferries.htm
Official Website

Notes and References

News: Roble kids help make pa's ship business grow. Aileen. Garcia-Yap. 30 November 2009. Philippine Daily Inquirer. https://web.archive.org/web/20091206035019/http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/enterprise/view/20091130-239321/Roble-kids-help-make-pas-ship-business-grow. 6 December 2009. dead.
Web site: Wakanatsu - Photo of MV Cagayan Princess.
Web site: Wakanatsu - Photo of MV Cebu Princess.
Web site: SHIP UPDATE - Roble Shipping Acquires the M/V Zamboanga Ferry from Lite Shipping (ex-GP Lines). https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/pP1ZY-tdMZM . 2021-12-20 . live. YouTube.
News: Cebu-bound vessel stalled off Leyte; all passengers rescued. Jhnunnex. Napallacan. 3 January 2008. Philippine Daily Inquirer. https://web.archive.org/web/20120327091331/http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/visayas/view/20080103-110115/Cebu-bound_vessel_stalled_off_Leyte%3B_all_passengers_rescued. 27 March 2012. dead.
News: Passenger vessel runs aground in Cebu; all passengers safe – PCG. 2 December 2009. balita.ph. https://web.archive.org/web/20110928141602/https://balita.ph/2009/12/02/passenger-vessel-runs-aground-in-cebu-all-passengers-safe-pcg/. 28 September 2011. dead.
News: Vessel sideswipes cargo ship in Cebu; 519 passengers rescued. Mars Jr. W.. Mosqueda. 2 December 2009. Manila Bulletin. https://web.archive.org/web/20110607220621/http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/232239/vessel-sideswipes-cargo-ship-cebu-519-passengers-rescued. 7 June 2011. dead.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/regions/08/15/15/ship-catches-fire-ormoc-port
https://rmn.ph/isang-landing-craft-tank-vessel-lumubog-sa-albuera-leyte/