First fruit of the season
Chilean fruit arrives in Delaware, US
The fruit arrived on The Pacific Mermaid, a refrigerated vessel operated by Trans Global Shipping N.V. of the Global Reefers service.
The ship discharged a cargo of nearly 618,500 boxes of fresh cherries, blueberries, apricots, peaches, nectarines and table grapes:
“The arrival of the Pacific Mermaid marks the sixth year in a row that the First State has had the opportunity to receive the initial break bulk shipment of Chilean winter fruit, not only on the Delaware River, but in the U.S.,” Gene Bailey, the port’s executive director, said in a statement.
This season, the Port of Wilmington anticipates receiving at least two dozen more shiploads of fruit from the Chilean ports of Valparaiso, Coquimbo and Caldera.
More than half of the Chilean fruit sent to U.S. markets travels through Delaware River ports, with Chile becoming Wilmington's largest refrigerated storage customer during the Southern Hemisphere growing season.
Last season, the port handled more than 18.65 million boxes of Chilean fruit, a 10 percent increase over the 2013-2014 season.
More than 2,000 people work at the port and more than 750 jobs are tied to the Chilean fruit trade, which generates about $40 million in personal income for those involved and $4 million in tax revenue.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet paid a visit to the Port of Wilmington in January, the first visit by a Chilean president to Delaware.