2GO Group, Inc. (branded as 2GO) is a Philippine logistics and transportation company engaged in freight shipping, courier and parcel delivery, warehousing, inventory management, distribution, and passenger sea travel. It operates a fleet of ten inter-island vessels transporting cargo and passengers across domestic routes in the Philippines.
The company traces its roots to William Lines, Inc., which was established on May 26, 1949. William Lines grew to become one of the largest shipping companies in the Philippines during the 1970s to the 1990s, before eventually merging with other domestic shipping firms that later formed what is now known as 2GO Group, Inc.
2GO is a subsidiary of SM Investments Corporation (SMIC), one of the country's largest conglomerates. Another principal shareholder is Trident Investments.
Company history
The company traces its roots to William Lines, Inc., which began as a shipping business founded by William Chiongbian on December 13, 1945, in Cebu City.He named one of its first vessels, the MV Victoriano, after his father; the ship made its maiden voyage serving the routes from Cebu to Tagbilaran, Bohol, and Siquijor, then to Plaridel and Ozamiz.[6] The company was later incorporated on May 26, 1949.[7] From the 1970s to the 1990s, the company introduced several flagship vessels, including
MV Cebu City
(1972), MV Doña Virginia (1980), and MV Sugbu (1989), and grew to become one of the largest shipping companies in the Philippines during that period.
In the 1990s, William Lines introduced the Mabuhay Series, comprising the company's largest and most luxurious vessels, designed to compete with rival fleets, including Sulpicio Lines and Aboitiz's SuperFerry ships.The first ship of the series, the Wilines Mabuhay 1, was acquired from Japan and was part of the well-known Sunflower series of vessels. Subsequently, William Lines added more ships to the Mabuhay Series, including Mabuhay 2, 3, 5, and 6.
In December 1995, William Lines acquired the assets of Gothong Lines and Aboitiz Shipping Corporation through a ₱5.68 billion share-swap deal, issuing new William Lines shares to the two companies in exchange for their shipping properties. The merger consolidated the operations of the three shipping firms, forming William, Gothong and Aboitiz Inc. (WG&A), which became the largest domestic shipping company in the Philippines.
The WG&A fleet was organized into three categories. SuperFerry, a brand carried over from Aboitiz Shipping, comprised the company's largest and most luxurious ships, primarily serving routes from Manila. This included vessels from William Lines’ Mabuhay Series; Mabuhay 1, 2, 3, and 5'. The remaining ships that did not meet SuperFerry standards were designated as WG&A Ferries, which also primarily served Manila-based routes. The other is Cebu Ferries, created during the merger, operated smaller vessels primarily serving routes from Cebu to the Visayas–Mindanao region.
Eventually in 2002 to 2004, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV), one of the company's major shareholders, bought out its partners in WG&A for about ₱3.65 billion. AEV acquired 918 million shares, equivalent to approximately 61 percent of the shipping company. Aboitiz eventually bought out the remaining shares of the Chiongbians (William Lines) and Gothong.
The partnership was later dissolved, leading to the formation of the Aboitiz Transport System, which unified the operations of SuperFerry, Cebu Ferries, and SuperCat.
In September 2008, Aboitiz Equity Ventures decided to quit the shipping business to focus on its core businesses, namely power and financial services, and announced the sale of its controlling 77% stake in Aboitiz Transport System to KGLI‑NM Holdings, a joint venture between Negros Navigation and Dutch investors, with plans to acquire the remaining shares and potentially delist the company,[8] but due to financing difficulties during the global financial crisis, KGLI‑NM was unable to complete the full buyout, paid only a P100 million option fee, and eventually withdrew its offer in May 2009, terminating the agreement.[9]
On December 1, 2010, Aboitiz Equity Ventures sold its transport business to Negros Navigation Co. Inc. (NENACO) for US$105 million, transferring all logistics and shipping operations under new ownership.[7][10] At the same time, the China–ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund, a Netherlands-based private equity firm owned by the Government of the People's Republic of China, acquired a controlling stake in NENACO through an equity infusion.[12][10][13][14]
In 2012, the company was reorganized and rebranded as 2GO Group Inc. with its brands SuperFerry, SuperCat, and Cebu Ferries merged with Negros Navigation to form 2GO Travel.
In 2016, SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) and Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. (owned by Dennis Uy) jointly acquired a major stake in 2GO Group Inc. In 2021, Chelsea Logistics sold its shares to SMIC, making 2GO a full subsidiary of SM Investments Corporation.
In 2023, 2GO Group voluntarily delisted from the Philippine Stock Exchange after completing a tender offer and began a modernization program focusing on logistics, freight, and passenger transport.
Operations
2GO and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the Group) provide shipping, logistics, and distribution services to small and medium enterprises, large corporations, and government agencies throughout the Philippines. The Group operates under its flagship brand, 2GO.
The Group's shipping operations manage inter-island roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) freight and passenger vessels.Its logistics arm offers transportation, warehousing, and distribution services, including cold chain solutions, domestic and international ocean and air forwarding, customs brokerage, project logistics, and express and last-mile package and e-commerce delivery.The distribution segment complements these operations by leveraging 2GO's shipping and logistics capabilities to provide value-added distribution services to principals and customers.[3]
Business units
Sea Solutions – Operates under the brands 2GO Freight and 2GO Travel.
2GO Freight provides door-to-door and pier-to-pier transportation of raw materials and finished goods via full container load (FCL), less-than-container load (LCL), and loose cargo shipments, using a fleet of roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) passenger-cargo vessels (RoPax).
2GO Travel offers passenger sea transportation nationwide, providing affordable travel with hotel, tour, and event packages.
Logistics – Provides land, air, and sea transportation, warehousing, cross-docking, trucking, cold chain solutions, ISO tank and liquid bulk transport, domestic and international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, project logistics, and last-mile and e-commerce delivery.
Distribution – Operates under ScanAsia Overseas Inc. (SOI), providing nationwide product distribution to retail outlets. SOI originally focused on dairy products and later expanded to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and pharmaceuticals. The Board approved the cessation of Scanasia Overseas, Inc. operations effective 31 March 2024.
Subsidiaries
2GO operates passenger and freight services connecting major ports across the Philippines, linking Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.Its vessels serve routes to and from Bacolod, Batangas, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan, Cebu, Coron, Davao, Dipolog, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Manila, Odiongan, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, Siargao, Tagbilaran, and Zamboanga.
2GO Express, Inc. – Provides land, air, and sea transportation including courier services, general cargo, sea cargo services, and last-mile delivery for e-commerce. It operates a nationwide network of retail outlets and partner agents and partners with FedEx for international express services.
2GO Logistics, Inc. – Provides transportation, warehousing, cross-docking, trucking, domestic freight, and inventory management solutions nationwide.
Kerry Logistics (Phils.), Inc. (KLPI) – A joint venture with Kerry Logistics Network
Fleet
Current fleet
As of July 2026, 2GO and its subsidiaries own and operate a fleet of ten operating vessels, consisting of nine RoRo/Pax vessels and one freighter.2GO's operating vessel fleet has a combined gross tonnage of approximately 159,295.
Currently, 2GO operates seven large RoRo/Pax vessels calling on Manila as their homeport. These vessels sail from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao. Furthermore, 2GO operates two medium-sized vessels with Batangas as their homeport, plying on the Batangas-Odiongan-Caticlan and the Batangas-Caticlan-Roxas routes. 2GO also operates one purely-cargo vessel, with Manila as its homeport, to complement its freight business.
The company's flagship is currently the MV 2GO Masagana, one of the largest vessels ever to sail in the Philippines.
2GO's fleet includes two series of ships:
The M Series (e.g., 2GO Maligaya, 2GO Masagana), named after Filipino words beginning with "Ma" that represent positive traits and attitudes of the Filipino people.)
The S Series (e.g., St. Michael the Archangel, St. Francis Xavier), named after Roman Catholic saints.)
, offering domestic and international freight forwarding, warehousing, distribution, customs brokerage, project logistics, and handling of dangerous goods.
2GO Land Transport, Inc. – Provides cargo hauling and forwarding via trucks, container vans, and closed vans.
2GO Retail – Offers domestic parcel delivery, FedEx international services, and 2GO Travel ticket sales through retail outlets and partner agents.
Special Container and Value Added Services, Inc. (SCVASI) – Provides cold chain and liquid bulk transport solutions, including temperature-controlled vans and ISO tanks for FCL and LCL shipments, as well as project logistics for industries such as infrastructure, power, telecommunications, mining, and property.
