SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Hanjin Heavy Industries Inc.-Phil. (HHIC-Phil), a Korean shipbuilding conglomerate located inside this premier Freeport, has built the biggest crude oil tanker in the country, to date, with mostly Filipino crew members.

Unveiled during the recent naming ceremony, the $68 million “Leyla K” is the biggest oil tanker made here that was ordered by a Turkish shipping company.

Boasting a 114,000 dead weight tonnage, 241.27-meter length, 44-meter breadth and a 21.35-meter depth, the crude oil tanker was named after the heiress of Kaptanoglu.

Present during the naming ceremony were the Kaptanoglu chairman and his entourage, Ship Classification Society Lloyd Registers, HHIC-Phil president Seung Chil Lee, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano Salonga, SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, and Zambales Governor Amor Deloso.

According to Deloso, most of the Filipino crew came from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PPMA) in Zambales.

Deloso said he is proud that the biggest oil tanker will be manned by Zambaleños.

While Arreza said that the naming ceremony marks the advancement of the Filipinos’ capability to create more seagoing vessels.

He said that the increase of marine engineers here would mean better ships and fewer tragedies that occur when local vessels set sail the Philippine waters.

HHIC-Phil has already named the first container vessel made in the country on July of 2008, which has a 4,300 TEU capacity and was ordered by Greek shipping company Dioryx.

The container ship “Argolikos” was ceremoniously proclaimed by no less than President Arroyo herself.

HHIC has delivered one vessel for the year 2008 and seven more for 2009.

The company has a total of 36 remaining vessels to be constructed and delivered to its customers worldwide.

The company intends to build a bigger crude oil with a 300,000 dead weight tonnage in the near future.