Starlite Ferries

What Starlite Ferries does

Starlite Ferries, Inc. is a Philippine inter-island ferry operator headquartered in Batangas City, founded in 1995 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. following its November 2017 acquisition. The company runs roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels that carry both passengers and vehicles across routes spanning Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with key destinations including Batangas, Calapan, Caticlan, Cebu, Dapitan, Nasipit, Romblon, Roxas City, Sibuyan, and Surigao. It is described as one of the dominant operators in the Batangas-Calapan-Caticlan trade corridor.

Revenue is generated through four primary streams: (1) passenger ticket sales across multiple accommodation tiers (Reclining Seat, Economy Bed, Tourist Class, Business Class, VIP rooms) priced on a per-trip unit basis in the PHP 750-2,000 range for typical routes; (2) vehicle and cargo RoRo transport, with vehicle fees ranging from PHP 3,150 for motorcycles to PHP 43,050 for heavy equipment and container vans; (3) Starlite Express port-to-port courier and parcel shipping priced as low as PHP 150 for a document pouch; and (4) onboard food and beverage through wholly-owned subsidiary Starbites Food Services Corp. (Mister Donut, Marby's siomai, Kambal Pandesal) and the Cafe Liberica coffee brand. Distribution runs through company ticketing offices in Batangas, Cebu, and Surigao, over 100 accredited third-party travel agencies across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and the Chelsea Travel online platform and mobile app.

The company employs 251-500 people, is privately held, and is supported by affiliated Chelsea Logistics entities including Starlite Gallant Ferries Inc., Starlite Premiere Ferries Inc., and Worklink Services Inc. for last-mile cargo. Customer base is split between long-tail individual travelers (primary) and business users transporting commercial goods, agricultural products, seafood, and rolling cargo. Recent strategic activity has been route-led, with new direct crossings (Batangas-Caticlan in 2018, Matnog-Allen in 2018, Oroquieta-Misamis Occidental in 2024) and a new vessel added to the Western Nautical Highway in September 2025, alongside the October 2024 rollout of the Chelsea Logistics loyalty program across subsidiaries.

Name

Starlite Ferries

Legal name

Starlite Ferries, Inc.

Website

https://starliteferries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Starlite Ferries, Inc. is a Philippine roll-on/roll-off ferry operator, headquartered in Batangas City and owned by Chelsea Logistics, carrying passengers, vehicles, and cargo across Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao routes including Batangas-Caticlan, Cebu, and Surigao.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Ferry Transportation

NAICS

Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114), Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAIAJAF

Passenger Ro-Ro Ferries (Vehicle + Passenger)

Travel & Hospitality/Rail, Bus & Ground Passenger Transport/Passenger Ferries & Water Taxis

SECONDARYTHAEAGAB

Island & Archipelago Ferry Services

Travel & Hospitality/Cruises & Maritime Leisure Travel/Ferries & Leisure Passenger Shipping

SECONDARYTHAIAJAG

Island & Remote Community Ferry Services

Travel & Hospitality/Rail, Bus & Ground Passenger Transport/Passenger Ferries & Water Taxis

SECONDARYTLADAJAD

Finished Vehicle Inland Waterway/Short-Sea RoRo Transport

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Transportation (Air, Maritime, Rail, Trucking)/Automotive Vehicle Logistics & Car Carriers

Keywords

• Passenger ferry services
• Roll-on roll-off transport
• Inter-island cargo shipping
• Vehicle ferry transport
• Maritime transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Batangas

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Passenger Ferry Services: Revenue from selling ferry tickets for passenger travel across multiple routes covering Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Multiple class options available including Reclining Seat, Economy Bed, Tourist Class, Business Class, and VIP Rooms.
2. Vehicle/RoRo Transport: Revenue from transporting vehicles including motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, and container vans via roll-on/roll-off vessels.
3. Starlite Express Cargo Shipping: Port-to-port courier service for documents, parcels, and box cargoes transported on existing shipping routes. Accepts small and medium cargo with additional fees for excess weight.
4. Onboard Food and Beverage: Revenue from onboard food and beverage services including Starbites cafeteria, Cafe Liberica, Mister Donut, Marby's siomai, and Kambal Pandesal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Starlite Ferries operates Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) passenger and vehicle ferry services across the Philippine islands connecting Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Core offerings include passenger ferry tickets across multiple accommodation classes (Reclining Seat, Economy Bed, Tourist Class, Business Class, VIP Rooms), RoRo vehicle transport for motorcycles, cars, trucks, and buses, plus port-to-port cargo courier service (Starlite Express) and onboard food and beverage services (Starbites, Cafe Liberica).

Product overview

Starlite Ferries operates as a multi-service maritime transportation company offering passenger and cargo ferry services across the Philippines. The core offering is the Starlite Ferries RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) service connecting Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions with destinations including Batangas, Calapan, Caticlan, Cebu, Romblon, Roxas City, Sibuyan, Surigao, Nasipit, and Dapitan. Supporting services include Starlite Express for port-to-port cargo/ courier services and Starbites/Cafe Liberica for onboard food and beverage. The company operates through subsidiaries Starlite Gallant Ferries Inc. and Starlite Premiere Ferries Inc., with Starbites Food Services Corp. handling onboard retail. Booking is facilitated through Chelsea Travel online platform and barkota.com, while cargo pickup/delivery is handled via partner Worklink Services, Inc.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Starlite Express: Cargo/port-to-port courier service
• Starbites
• Cafe Liberica

Products and services

• Starlite Ferries Passenger & Vehicle Ferry Service Primary passenger and vehicle ferry service connecting major Philippine islands including Batangas, Calapan, Caticlan, Cebu, Dapitan, Nasipit, Romblon, Roxas City, Sibuyan, and Surigao via Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) vessels with reclining seats, bunk beds, private cabins, and onboard amenities. Targeted at individual travelers, families, and vehicle owners needing inter-island transport.
• Starlite Express Cargo Shipping Port-to-port courier service for documents, parcels, and box cargoes transported on existing shipping routes. Accepts document pouches, small cargo (up to 3kg), and medium cargo (3.1-5kg) with separate short-haul and long-haul rate schedules plus excess-weight fees. Targeted at businesses and individuals shipping documents, parcels, and small commercial cargo between Philippine ports.
• RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) Vehicle Transport RoRo ferry service for vehicles including motorcycles, cars, trucks, and buses that can be driven directly onto and off the vessel, enabling convenient transport of personal vehicles and commercial cargo. Vehicles are categorized by size (motorcycle, sub-3m, 3-3.9m, 4-4.9m, 5-5.9m, container vans, heavy equipment) with size-based pricing. Targeted at vehicle owners and transport operators needing cross-sea vehicle movement.
• Starbites Onboard Food Service Onboard food and cafeteria service offering affordable food and beverage options during ferry trips, featuring items from Mister Donut, Marby's siomai, and Kambal Pandesal, available to ferry passengers during voyages.
• Cafe Liberica Onboard Coffee Shop Onboard coffee shop offering coffee and light refreshments to passengers during ferry voyages, available across Starlite Ferries routes.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chelsea TravelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline booking platform for Starlite Ferries tickets. Customers can book ferry trips through the Chelsea Travel website and app, receiving e-tickets after transaction.
• Worklink Services, Inc. (WSI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for pickup and delivery requirements. WSI specializes in courier, forwarding, trucking, and logistics services. WSI is a subsidiary of Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. Contact: +63.2.85.333.888
• Bay Area Travel & ToursminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTravel agency partner for ticket distribution. Partnership announced during the #AngBagongStarlite logo launch in March 2018, allowing customers to book Starlite Ferries trips through Bay Area Travel & Tours.
• SuperCat Fast Ferry CorpminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicketing partnership at multiple locations including Tagbilaran (Bohol), Cebu (Pier 4), and Ormoc. SuperCat outlets serve as ticketing points for Starlite Ferries routes.
• Trans-Asia Shipping Lines, Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicketing partnership at Cebu City location. Trans-Asia Shipping Lines outlets serve as additional ticketing points for Starlite Ferries passengers.
• Starbites Food Services Corp.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary of Starlite Ferries providing onboard food and beverage services including Mister Donut, Marby's siomai, and Kambal Pandesal. Part of the Starlite Ferries subsidiary group including Starlite Gallant Ferries Inc. and Starlite Premiere Ferries Inc.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cokaliong Shipping Lines: Cebu-based RoRo passenger ferry operator connecting Cebu to numerous Visayas and Mindanao destinations — direct overlap on routes such as Cebu–Surigao/Nasipit that Starlite also serves.
• Weesam Express: Philippine fast-craft ferry operator serving Cebu, Tagbilaran, and other Visayas/Mindanao routes that overlap Starlite's premium passenger offerings.
• Trans-Asia Shipping Lines: Philippine inter-island passenger ferry operator with overlapping Visayas and Mindanao routes; also operates as a ticketing partner of Starlite, illustrating deep service overlap.
• 2GO Travel: Largest Philippine inter-island passenger and RoRo ferry operator, serving similar passenger and vehicle transport routes across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with comparable cabin tiering and RoRo vessel operations.
• Montenegro Shipping Lines (PSACC): Major Philippine RoRo operator under Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp., overlapping on Batangas–Mindoro and other Western Philippines corridors central to Starlite's network.
• Lite Ferries: RoRo passenger and cargo ferry operator serving inter-island Philippine routes with a similar passenger/vehicle/cargo mix and tiered cabin model.
• Roble Shipping Lines: Mindanao-anchored RoRo passenger/cargo ferry operator competing on Cebu–Surigao and other southern Philippine routes also served by Starlite.
• SuperCat Fast Ferry Corp. Fast ferry operator with shared ticketing arrangements and overlapping Philippine routes, including Batangas–Calapan services directly competitive with Starlite.
• OceanJet: Fast-craft ferry operator connecting Batangas, Cebu, Tagbilaran, Calapan and other Philippine ports — competing for premium and time-sensitive passenger traffic on similar corridors.

Broad incumbents

• Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. Parent conglomerate and broader shipping/logistics operator running multiple ferry, cargo, and logistics subsidiaries beyond Starlite — provides context for group-level capabilities and capital allocation dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/starliteferries
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@starliteferries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starlite-ferries-inc-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Starlite Ferries