Overripening of local banana varieties (Saba, Lakatan and Latundan) for the domestic market is a big problem during inter-island transportation in the Philippines. This can be attributed to bulk handling, unsuitable container van and high transit temperature. Rapid assessments over two decades have documented the technical innovations made by key supply chain actors to mitigate the problem. Commercial shipping trials from the south to the north of the Philippines using ethylene absorbent were also conducted to reduce ripening. Seven major changes in the design of non-refrigerated container vans were adopted over a period of two decades for the maritime transport of bananas. The improvements mainly focused on dissipating heat and providing fresh air to the fruit. The use of ice blocks in bulk loading during sea transit has been shown to be effective and consistent in delaying ripening. Inclusion of an ethylene absorbent in 15 commercial shipping trials reduced maturation by 44%, with a wide range of percentage maturation reductions. Keywords: ethylene absorbent, inter-island transport, van modified container ship, non-refrigerated transportation, ripeningINTRODUCTIONLocal bananas like 'Saba' (Musa BBB), 'Lakatan' (Musa AA) and 'Latundan' (Musa AAB) are grown mainly in the southern Philippines. However, the demand for fruits is greater in the northern part of the country, where more than half of the total population resides (NSO 2012). Being an archipelago, inter-island transport is the main means of distributing fruits to the country's domestic markets. However, the use of refrigerated vans in shipping is rare due to its high operational cost. Instead, the fruit is loaded into a sealed, unrefrigerated container van amidst ......paper crap. Biol after harvest. and Technol. 15:279-292. Scott KJ, Mendoza DB, Lizada MCC. 1983. MAP and prolong wax delay ripening of bananas in the Philippines. Singapore J. Primary Industries 2: 61-63. Thompson AK. 1996. Postharvest technology of fruits and vegetables. Blackwell Sci. 410p. p.97.Wills RBH, McGlasson WB, Graham D, Lee TH, Hall EG. 1989. Postharvest: an introduction to the physiology and handling of fruits and vegetables. 3rd edition AVI, New York. 174 pp. pp 50-51. Yaptenco KF, Brena SR, Esguerra EB. 1996. Reducing the incidence of premature ripening during maritime transport of “Lakatan” bananas. Postharvest Research Notes 2:7-8. Zamorano JP, Dopico B, Lowe AL, Wilson ID, Grierson D, Merodio C. 1994. Effect of low temperature storage and ethylene removal on ripening and gene expression changes in fruit of the 'lawyer. Biol after harvest. and technology. 4: 331-342.