The Port of Wilmington, Delaware, welcomed the first 2008/09 shipment of Chilean fruit onboard Pacific Seaways’ (PSW) chartered reefer vessel, m/v Royal Klipper, on Friday, 19 December, according to a news release.
The port anticipates a total of 29 ship-calls from the Chilean ports of Valparaíso, Coquimbo and Caldera carrying primarily table grapes, but also plums, nectarines, apricots, peaches, cherries, kiwfruit and other deciduous fruit through April.
Although this year’s Chilean fruit season has started later than expected due to climatic conditions, shippers are said to be pleased with the large harvest and excellent quality of fruit, which bodes well for a strong export season.
“We are excited about the beginning of another Chilean fruit import season,” said Gene Bailey, executive director of the Diamond State Port Corporation. “With our global economy, North American consumers are now accustomed to receiving healthy and delicious fresh fruit from Chile in the winter time and we are pleased to help meet the market’s demand, especially during the holiday season.”
Wilmington is the leading marine terminal in the US for imports of perishable cargo and a major port of entry and distribution center for Chilean fruit.
Last season, the port handled some 150,000 pallets of Chilean fruit with a retail value of US$600m. The volume was distributed as far North as Canada’s maritime provinces and as far west as the Mississippi River.
PSW and its US arm, Pacific Delaware, have chartered six of the world’s largest, and most modern specialized reefer ships to transport this year’s cargo.
“Pacific Seaways enjoys a unique competitive advantage as the only carrier offering its shippers and importers a direct service from Chile to one US East Coast port, the Port of Wilmington,” said Mark Murphy, president of Pacific Delaware. “By leveraging its supply chain efficiencies the PSW express service gets its customer’s fruit to the market quicker than our competitors,” he added.
