Boat trips in the Calapan-Batangas sea route have resumed operations after a two-and-a-half hour suspension as a precautionary measure following the raising of the tsunami alert to level 2, Lieutenant Algier Ricafrente, Calapan Coast Guard station commander, said Sunday.

Vessels opted not to sail starting 1 p.m. even as big waves were only expected to hit the east coast of the country, Ricafrente told The Mindoro Post.

Trips resumed at 3:30 p.m., he said.

The Calapan-Batangas sea lane forms part of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway where travelers and cargo from as far as Mindanao and Batangas pass through.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology had raised the tsunami alert to level 2, expecting waves as high as one meter to hit the eastern shores following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Chile Saturday.

It lifted the tsunami warning at around 3:15 p.m.