Dolphin Ship Management, Inc. or DOLSHIP, a major player in the Philippine ship manning industry, was established after the spin-off of Fil-Japan Shipping Corporation (FIL-JAPAN) on 17 July 1979. The manning business which was originally handled by FIL-JAPAN began in 1976 headed by its then Vice-President for Manning and Special Projects.





FIL-Japan started with 5 container ships of Shofuku Steamship Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of NYK-Line, for its initial voyages. In 1977, Vroon B.V. of Holland, a Dutch corporation, approached FIL-JAPAN for the manning of their dry-cargo and livestock ships.

DOLSHIP was established in order to avoid conflicts in the manning of vessels of varied types and principals in 1979. It started with the three tankers of an American Company, SMITHCREST Shipping of New York.

In 1981, Far-East Transport Co., Ltd. (FETRAN) signed a manning agreement with FIL-JAPAN. Two (2) years later, Teh Tung Steamship Co., Ltd. and AECO Maritime SA of Greece were added in the list.

As the manning business continue to flourish, TDG felt the need to re-organize. A joint venture between TDG and NYK was born wherein the manning/crewing for NYK vessels will be handled exclusively by NYK-Fil Ship Management, Inc. On the other hand, the Manning Department of FIL-JAPAN was placed under DOLSHIP where it will focus on non-NYK ships and principals. Meantime, FIL-JAPAN will concentrate on its core business of port operations, cargo solicitations and ship agency functions.

As years go by, additional Principals were added in the roster such as MMS Co., Ltd in 1994; Kyokko Tanker and Hokoku Marine in 1997; Disney Cruise Line in 1998; Mandara Spa in 2000; and the Festival Cruises in 2001.