A new route of the roll-on, roll-off nautical highway (Ro-Ro) from Dumaguit Port in Aklan to Batangas in southern Luzon via Odiongan, Romblon has recently been opened to the public.

The new Ro-Ro route which was formally opened by Pres. Arroyo will ferry people, goods, services and even useful recyclable materials back and forth at a lower cost and without much hassle of loading and unloading too often using the regular shipping routes.

The Super Roro II will leave Dumaguit port every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays at noon bound for Batangas and vice versa.

The new Ro-Ro route will be serviced by the Super Roro II, a 1,769 gross registered ton vessel which the Asian Marine Shipping Lines, a company owned by the family of Paul Rodriguez, who is also chairman of the newly-Asea One Power Corp., which broke ground the country’s first 12 MW power plant that will connect directly to the Panay Island grid in Banga, Aklan.

The Rodriguez family had been operating for decades now Ro-Ro vessels that link Luzon to Mindanao via the nautical highway. But it is only under the Arroyo administration that investments in such business had become viable, according to Rodriguez, who also chairs the shipping company.

Rodriguez said his company had been buying secondhand boats from Japan not less than 20 years old — at $3.5 million per vessel in order to serve an unfilled need of the people to get their cargoes, vehicles and passengers to and from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao at a cheaper price. (EHL)