2GO Masinag

This article is about the passenger ferry. For other uses of 2GO, see 2go (disambiguation).

2GO Masinag is a passenger ferry of the Philippine shipping company 2GO Travel that went into service in 1999 as Ferry Fukuoka II.

MV 2GO Masinag

History
Japan
Name	Ferry Fukuoka 2 Ferry Fukouka II
Owner	Meimon Taiyō Ferry Co., Ltd. (Cityline)
Port of registry	Osaka, Japan
Route	Osaka - Kitakyushu
Builder	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Shimonoseki, Japan)
Laid down	November 2001
Launched	June 14, 2002
Maiden voyage	October 18, 2002
In service	2002–2022
Out of service	March 27, 2022
Identification	IMO number: 9258416
Fate	Sold to Seaworld Express Ferry
South Korea
Name	Queen Mary 2
Owner	Seaworld Express Ferry
Operator	Seaworld Express Ferry
Port of registry	Busan, South Korea
Route	Busan - Jeju
Acquired	2022
Maiden voyage	2022
In service	2022–2023
Out of service	2023
Homeport	Busan
Fate	Sold to 2GO Travel
Philippines
Name	2GO Masinag
Owner	2GO Group Inc.
Operator	2GO Travel
Port of registry	Manila, Philippines
Route	1. Manila - Cebu - Manila (2025) 2. Manila - Davao - GenSan - Iloilo - Manila (2025) 3. Manila - GenSan - Davao - Cebu - Manila (2025)
Acquired	2023
Maiden voyage	2024
In service	2024–present
Homeport	Manila
Fate	In active service
General characteristics
Type	ROPAX ferry
Tonnage	9,975 GT
Length	167 m (547 ft 11 in)
Beam	27 m (88 ft 7 in)
Ramps	2
Installed power	2 × Pielstick/NKK 18-cylinder 18PC2-6V diesel engines (19,860 kW (26,630 hp))
Propulsion	Controllable Pitch Propeller(CPP) 2-shaft
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) max
Capacity	800 passengers

She is the sister ship of 2GO Masikap, the former Ferry Kyoto II, acquired by 2GO a few months before 2GO Masinag. The difference between these the acquisitions of the two ships is that 2GO Masikap had an existing two-piece cargo ramp at the portside quarter aft area which was refitted when she was still under the Hanil Car Express Ferry while 2GO Masinag only utilized its original aft ramp from Japan. The addition and installation of her passenger gangplank and her quarter aft portside ramp were installed upon arrival in the Philippines.

Service history

2GO Masinag when she was still in Japan

She was ordered as the Ferry Fukouka II of the Meimon Taiyo Ferry Co. Ltd. based in Osaka, Japan. She has a length overall of 167 meters (547 ft 11 in), a breadth of 27 meters (88 ft 7 in) and has a listed gross tonnage 9,774 GT. The vessel was launched in 2002 and was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shimonoseki Shipworks and Machine Works in Shimonoseki, Japan. The vessel is powered by two Pielstick/NKK 18-cylinder 18PC2-6V diesel engines creating 27,000 horsepower (20,000 kW). The ship is capable of reaching speeds of up to 19–21 knots (35–39 km/h; 22–24 mph).

In 2005, it was remodeled to add a second-class Western-style cabin and a first-class Western-style cabin to the starboard bow. The ship is barrier-free, with multi-purpose toilets and elevators installed.

In 2015, the numerical notation of ship names was changed from Arabic to Roman numerals.

In 2022, She was retired and replaced by her successor, also named Ferry Fukuoka. she was acquired by South Korean operator Seaworld Express Ferry Co. Ltd. and renamed Queen Mary 2 (not to be confused with RMS Queen Mary 2). During this time, she received significant updates to her interior.

2GO Travel has been on a "buying-spree" since SM Investments took full ownership of the company sometime in 2023. It negotiated a deal to acquire both sister ships (ex-Blue Pearl and ex-Queen Mary 2) as they fit the current needs of the company. The first to arrive in the country is the ex-Blue Pearl, now 2GO Magalang/2GO Masikap and then ex-Queen Mary 2, now 2GO Masinag. After ex-Queen Mary 2 was turned over from her previous operator (around first quarter of 2024), she immediately went to a floating dock in Mokpo, South Korea for drydocking and repainting works before heading to the Philippines. She left Mokpo, South Korea around April 18, 2024 to embark on a three-day journey heading to the Philippines where she arrived on April 21, and she was anchored off the coast of Cavite.

Onboard

Acommodations

• Business Class for 1
• Business Class for 2
• Business Class for 4
• Stateroom for 2
• Suiteroom for 2
• VIP Suiteroom
• Mega Value Class
• Tourist Class

Amenities

• Horizon Cafe
• Island Fiesta
• Cafe 2GO
• Front Desk
• Main Lobby
• Miniso and Kultura
• Watsons and ShipMart
• Salon
• Pet Room
• Massage Chairs
• Sundeck

Accidents and incidents

Collision with a cargo ship

On August 30, 2004, as Typhoon No. 16 of 2004 approached, the Ferry Fukuoka 2, which had taken refuge in the Hiuchi Nada Sea in the Seto Inland Sea, dragged its anchor and collided with the cargo ship Century Hope, which had also taken refuge in the Hiuchi Nada Sea. The Ferry Fukuoka 2 was monitoring for anchor dragging with radar and GPS, but because it had not kept its engines ready, it was unable to use its engines to prevent anchor dragging when it dragged anchor at 21:10, and was swept away. The Century Hope, noticing the dragging anchor of the Ferry Fukuoka 2, warned with its whistle and searchlight and then put full astern before the collision, but at 21:19 the port stern of the Ferry Fukuoka 2 collided with the bow of the Century Hope. As a result of this incident, the port rear outer hull of the Ferry Fukuoka 2 was damaged and the propeller was bent. Century Hope sustained damage to its bulbous bow and bow shell.

Collision with Ferry Kitakyushu

On January 7, 2007, while docking at Nanko Ferry Terminal in Osaka Port, the ship was blown away by strong winds and collided with ferry Kitakyushu, which was docked at the neighboring berth. At the time of the incident, strong winds with a maximum instantaneous speed of 21.5 meters per second (4,230 ft/min) were blowing from the west, and although the ship was being steered using its engine and bow thruster with the support of one tugboat, it was pushed away by the strong wind from the starboard stern, and the center of the port side of the Ferry Fukuoka 2 came into contact with the starboard stern of the ferry Kitakyushu, damaging the outer plate and fenders.

Contact with buoy on the west side of Akashi Strait

At around 7:35 pm on March 18, 2018, the Ferry Fukuoka II contacted a buoy on the west side of the Akashi Strait. According to the Kobe Coast Guard, the ferry had left Osaka South Port at 5 pm and was heading to Shin-Moji Port in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, with 509 passengers and crew on board. The ferry, with 500 people on board, got stuck off the coast of Akashi after contacting an 8-ton buoy. Prior to contact with the buoy, a person on board the ferry had suddenly fallen ill, and the patrol boat Nunobiki was sent from the Himeji Coast Guard Office to transport the seriously ill person to the patrol boat, but while the ferry was anchoring without dropping anchor, the buoy came into contact with the starboard stern. No one was injured, but part of the propeller was thought to have been damaged, making it impossible to navigate. Early on the morning of the 19th, the anchor lifting ship Oyashio of Fukada Salvage was dispatched, and after waiting for the tide to subside, they sent in divers to check the situation and found that the buoy's anchor chain had become entangled in the starboard propeller, so the divers cut the chain. At around 3 p.m. that day, they confirmed that the ferry could proceed using only the port propeller, which had been less affected by the entanglement, and began to return to Osaka Nanko Port., and after 6 p.m., with the support of a tugboat, the ferry docked at the quay at Osaka Nanko Port after the departure of the company's ferry, and returned to port 25 hours after departure. They announced that they would refund all passenger fares and pay 15,000 yen per person as compensation. The national Japan Transport Safety Board dispatched a marine accident investigator on the 19th to investigate the cause of the accident. The ship's starboard propeller was damaged and it was decided to cancel all sailings from March 19 onwards due to docking.

Trivia

1.) She is the actually the sistership of M/V 2GO Masikap. They have the same vessel design with the length, beam and specification identical to one another back then when they were still fleetmates in Japan.

MV 2GO Masikap

Their fate as sister ships went separate ways when they were both sold overseas, specifically in Korea in 2002 to different ferry operators. The ex-Ferry Kyoto 2 was sold to Hanil Car Ferry Express Co. Ltd as the Blue Pearl while the ex-Ferry Fukuoka 2 went to the South Korean operator: Seaworld Express Ferry Co. Ltd as the Queen Mary 2 (not to be mistaken with the RMS Queen Mary 2). After 2GO Travel acquired the sisterships 2GO Masinag and 2GO Masikap, they have again reunited together but now under the 2GO Travel fleet.

MV St. Therese of the Child Jesus

2.) M/V 2GO Masinag is the successor of the former 2GO Travel vessel: M/V St. Therese of the Child Jesus (STCJ). Back then when they were still under the Meimon Taiyo “City Line” Ferry Co. Ltd days, the ex-Ferry Fukuoka 2 (current 2GO Masinag) was built in order to replace the ex-Ferry Fukuoka (current M/V St. Therese of Child Jesus) which was sold to the WG&A Philippines Inc as the M/V SuperFerry 16 together with ex-Ferry Kyoto (M/V SuperFerry 15) in 2002.

MV St. Michael the Archangel

3.) She is also the successor of the current M/S St. Michael the Archangel (SMA) from her South Korean operator? She was the ex-Queen Mary back then in 2008 to 2011 before she was acquired by Negros Navigation and was renamed as the M/S St. Michael the Archangel.

4.) She is the 5th vessel (together with her sister ship M/V 2GO Masikap) in the M series that was acquired since SM Investments took full control of the company. With the 3 new liner acquisition of 2GO (Masikap, Masigla and Masinag), M/V 2GO Maligaya and M/V 2GO Masagana still remains to be the biggest, and the longest in its fleet which definitely gives them the title “Flagship” Vessel.