2GO Masagana is a passenger ferry and flagship of the Philippine shipping company 2GO Travel that went into service in 2003. She was originally known as Tsukushi of Hankyu Ferry.
She is the sister ship of MV 2GO Maligaya, formerly Yamato, also from Hankyu Ferry. She was acquired by 2GO a few months after 2GO Maligaya. The difference between the two sister ships is on livery design, which has a few modifications and tweaks. In 2023, her sister MV 2GO Maligaya, had her sundeck area expanded for more accommodations, while she retained her original sundeck.
She and her sister ship are the largest passenger vesels ever to sail in the Philippines, surpassing MV Princess of the Stars of Sulpicio Lines.
Service history
In the early 2000s, Hankyu Ferry planned to replace the sister ships New Harima and New Seto on the route between Kobe and Kitakyushu with newer and more efficient vessels.
Based on the design of the company's then-recent ships Ferry Settsu and Ferry Suō, the new vessels, later named Yamato and Tsukushi, were planned to be slightly larger. Their overall length was set at 195 meters, allowing for an increased rolling cargo capacity of approximately 229 trailers. Externally, the two ships retained the general silhouette of their predecessors, including a single funnel, but were distinguished by the absence of side ventilation openings along the upper car deck, giving the hull a more solid, continuous appearance.