Banana supplier Chiquita has reported it expects an uninterrupted supply of bananas despite the liquidation of Eastwind, which handled four of its ships.

Chiquita sold off its Great White Fleet which includes four refrigerated container ships and eight reefers to a joint venture of Eastwind and NYKLauritzenCool in 2007 but the former filed for liquidation on August 7, reports Fairplay Shipping News.

Chiquita estimated in 2007 that 70 per cent of its bananas were carried by those vessels and that the four large ships were sold by Eastwind’s secured lender to an unaffiliated third party.

A spokesperson for the company said: “The existing time charter arrangements for the four container ships have continued uninterrupted."

After the Eastwind bankruptcy, Chiquita assumed the bareboat charters for the eight reefers but explained it “has not experienced and does not expect any interruption in services” relating to the 12 ships, now handled by an unconfirmed third party agent.

Topics