The Zambales provincial government expects to deliver a 96-foot steel-hulled fishing vessel to local fisherfolk by February 2027, completing a five-vessel package aimed at modernizing the province’s fishing industry and strengthening coastal livelihoods.
Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the FV Zambales II is now 80 percent complete and undergoing final construction at a boatyard in Cavite. He inspected the vessel on November 12 to ensure compliance with technical specifications and the delivery schedule ahead of the summer fishing season.
Designed as the mother boat or harvester vessel for the province’s payao fishing project, FV Zambales II will support longer fishing operations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). It will feature two diesel engines, an ice maker, a desalination system and storage facilities for weeklong fishing trips.
The project, implemented through the Zambales Maritime Development Council (ZMDC) in late 2024, seeks to improve the productivity and safety of local fishermen amid increasing challenges in fishing waters off the province.
Three other vessels—FV Zambales III and FV Zambales IV, both 45-foot fiberglass fishing boats, and the 62-foot FV Zambales I—were delivered earlier this year. The fifth vessel, MV Province of Zambales, was delivered in January for maritime patrol operations.
ZMDC Technical Working Group head Engr. Domingo Mariano said the vessels were designed with inputs from local fishermen under the Zambales Provincial Fishermen’s Association (ZPFA), a federation of 10 fisherfolk organizations.
The smaller fishing boats will serve as ancillary vessels, collecting catches from payaos or fish-aggregating devices anchored in open waters.
The initiative also includes training for ZPFA members who will operate the vessels. Ebdane encouraged the association to organize a formal cooperative to access government capacity-building programs and strengthen its capability to manage the fishing enterprise.
The provincial government aims to give small-scale fishermen better equipment, safer fishing operations and improved opportunities to increase their catch and household income.
