Impact of Hurricane Milton still being assessed as power is restored and cargo handling activities begin again at the port
Del Monte Fresh Produce has apparently begun to restart its import activities at SeaPort Manatee on the Gulf Coast of Florida, after a three-day port closure caused by Hurricane Milton.
In a message to press contacts, port spokesperson Paul Scott Abbott confirmed the company had “begun resuming operations”, adding that the hub’s fuel distribution operations were also back up and running.
“Thanks to cooperative efforts between Manatee County, state and federal authorities and industry partners, fuel distribution activities have resumed at SeaPort Manatee as of [Sunday] morning,” said Kevin Van Ostenbridge, chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority.
As power was gradually restored, limited landside cargo operations were able to resume, although ships were only able to move during daylight hours and in a one direction at a time.
SeaPort Manatee is the closest US port to the Panama Canal. Last year, according to officially published figures, it received more than 1.2bn bananas, around 39mn pineapples, and approximately 38mn avocados, as well as roughly 263mn litres of orange juice.
