The city government here announced on Thursday plans of Roble Shipping Inc. to reopen the Cebu-Tacloban passenger sea route through the shipping firm's newly refurbished vessel. In a social media post, Mayor Alfred Romualdez said he had a meeting this week with the firm's chief executive officer Jose Emery Roble to discuss plans to sail from Cebu City to Tacloban port. 'This is a great help to our travelers, and this will boost our trade of cheaper products between Cebu and Tacloban,' Romualdez said in a statement. To date, Cebu-bound travelers have to travel more than two hours by land to Ormoc City port to catch a boat ride to Cebu City. The city government said the company has yet to announce the maiden voyage since there are still arrangements being done with the Philippine Ports Authority. However, reports circulating online said the goal is to launch the route within September 2024. Roble Shipping will bring to Tacloban M/V Claudine Star, a 74-meter-long vessel refurbished in 2022 for a three-tim es weekly trips between Cebu and the Eastern Visayas capital. Tacloban port used to be one of the country's busiest, with regular passenger sea vessel trips to Metro Manila and Cebu. Since 2008, Tacloban has had no liners left when Sulpicio Lines was suspended from passenger operations that year after the MV Princess of the Stars sank during the onslaught of Typhoon Frank. The MV Tacloban Princess was sold to a local breaker, according to research published online by the Philippine Ship Spotter's Society. Currently, the Tacloban port is being used by cargo ships. Source: Philippines News agency