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The “Balangay” – Philippines’ Ancient and Pre-colonial Root in Shipping and Shipbuilding

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By: Vance Madelo    With TTSP, marking its 30th year since its first inception from a small eight-man design office in Cebu City, I could only marvel at how much it has grown into its current 500-man plus workforce in a 1000-capacity design center clattering with keyboard taps, mouse clicks and chats to design ships that are mostly of giant bulk carrier types. The now-staggering 321 overall ship count already delivered to owners amazes me on the resilience, hard work and craft of Filipino shipbuilders amid the challenges they faced throug the decades, thanks to the significant assimilation of Japanese craft and shipbuilding technological prowess through the Tsuneishi Group of Companies. Further down the history lane, I tried to dig deeper into the Filipinos’ knack in sea-related trades. I found it all started with the “Balangay”, a wooden boat employed by the Filipino ancestors in coming over and settling down in the Philippines. Accordingly, about 5000-6000 years ago our Fili
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Filipino Team Spirit in the Bayanihan

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By: Vance Madelo    It is a noteworthy trait among Filipinos to pro-actively help each other particularly when the situation demands. The “Bayanihan” spirit had been deeply ingrained in the Filipino culture having its roots dating back during the pre-colonial and colonial era. Historically, the Bayanihan was a common practice in the community wherein everybody lent hands and took turns in carrying and transferring a member’s movable bamboo hut to another place. On other occasions, the same spirit is demonstrated in activities of communal farming and fishing communities, also evolving into community cooperation related to affairs in preparation of religious festivities and other celebrations. As times changed and advancement taken place, the same trait is still very evident but adapted in different situations where teamwork is important. All, still in a mood of caring for one another. In ship designing, where planning a ship entails thousands of drawing tasks and teamwork is
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Tsuneishi Technical Services, Philippines - Ship's Piping Systems Detail Designs

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By: Vance Madelo    The Tsuneishi Technical Services Philippines, Inc. (TTSP) detail designing activities of ship’s piping systems generally cover essential piping systems such as the ship’s fixed fire extinguishing systems and water/fire extinguishing systems for most type of ships. However, the bulk of its piping detail design activities are applied in merchant vessels, particularly, but not limited to piping systems of machinery, hull, deck, interior and accommodation sections of Tankers and Bulk carriers. The general piping design service of TTSP comprises the groups under which, are teams with specific design specializations under the broader scope of a ship’s general piping systems. These teams’ piping detail design specializations fall under the Machinery Piping group, Accommodation Piping group and finally, the Hull Piping group - all of which work in continuous collaboration with each other during the design process.
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Overview of Planning and Ship Designing Process at Tsuneishi Technical Services Philippines, Inc.

by: Vance S. Madelo    Construction of a ship involves tens of thousands of drawing plans before physical works commence because every customer has unique needs for each ship ordered. TTSP seriously takes the customer requirements into consideration and treat these as critical input data into the planning and designing process. In the downstream level of ship designing, planning involves drawing plans that take into account the minutest details of each ship section. Detailed designs of ship sections include its electrical systems, piping systems, outfitting of machineries and equipment, interior accommodation works, ship completion, and painting plans that are integrated into the ship as a whole. Each section is dedicated to specialized design groups in cross-functional collaboration with each other. With “cost-efficiency” being part of its corporate vision, TTSP is further involved in production planning and design, scrutinized purchase and utilization of raw materials in order t
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Resilience amid Pandemic

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by: Vance S. Madelo    When the clock strikes 11AM before lunch time the PA system automatically sets off with a chime before a manly voice that calmly says, “Always wear face mask, wear face shield on top of face mask when riding the bus and when in public areas….”, announcing among other COVID-19 health protocol reminders inside the TTSP ship design center . The same announcement is repeated an hour before work ends in the afternoon when everybody is about to leave the place, and others to ride the company buses (50% capacity each) taking them home. TTSP’s COVID-19 PA system is only one of the preventive implementations in place. Floors where employees convene like the log machines, ATM machine and the Canteen areas have been marked with distancing stickers. Canteen tables have been re-arranged meters apart each and to accommodate only two persons at a time to opposing corners. With employees numbering more than 500, they have been divided into two batches to take turns eating in
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