With the first blueberry shipments due in a few weeks, exporters hope for swift resolution to conflict
Chilean fruit exporters are preparing to divert shipments bound for the US East Coast in the face of a planned strike by as some 45,000 longshoremen at major ports on the East Coast and the Gulf.
Fruit imports would be one of the first casualties of a walk-out, scheduled to begin on 1 October, as Delaware’s Port Wilmington is the US’s leading gateway for banana imports and a major entry point for South American fruit.
Iván Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile, said the association is keeping a close eye on the situation as Chile gears up for the start of the new export season.
“We are just starting the 2024/25 season with the first shipments of blueberries in the next few weeks so we hope that the conflict will be resolved before the arrival of these shipments in approximately 20 more days,” he told Fruitnet.
“Fortunately, Gloucester Marine Terminal [operated by Holt Logistics] is not part of the conflict and will continue to handle fruit shipments so we estimate that if the conflict is resolved during the month of October its effect would be minimised.”
In the event that the strike continues into November and Chilean volumes begin to build, shipments could be diverted to West Coast ports.
“I would say that at least for October there is no need to divert shipments to the West Coast. However, in November, when the cherries come in, there could be more congestion. But we think that the Gloucester Marine Terminal will be able to handle volumes at least for these first two months of the season,” Marambio said.
The US government said it is monitoring port labour negotiations and analysing the impact of a possible strike on the supply chain.
