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Seatrade’s Newest Reefer Vessel Calling Wilmington The Port of Wilmington, Delaware is celebrating the maiden voyage of Seatrade’s newest reefer vessel, M/V Royal Klipper, to Wilmington on March 15th. The M/V Royal Klipper, a Seatrade vessel chartered by The Pacific Seaways Group of Chile, made her first voyage from the shipyard in Japan to the Chilean ports of Valparaiso and Coquimbo, where a full cargo of fruit was loaded for Wilmington. This state of the art reefer vessel has a capacity under deck of 580,754 Cb. Ft. and a total capacity on deck for 200 FEUs, including 185 reefer containers. The vessel has 4 holds, consisting of 15 compartments, all individually cooled. She is equipped with a 17,000 HP B&W Hitachi main engine, and is good for a service speed of 21.5 knots. |
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Delaware has strong trade relations with Chile dating back many years. The Port of Wilmington, which is the nation’s largest port for imported fruits and produce, is the core of this relationship handling 32% of all Chilean fruit exported to North America. The Chilean fruit season lasts from December through May each year. The Port of Wilmington is a port of call for four of Chile’s largest fruit carriers and shipping groups: Pacific Seaways Group, Dole Fresh Fruit Co., Del Monte Fresh Produce, and Lauritzen Reefers. During the winter of 1999 over 50 vessels arrived in Wilmington carrying over 17 million boxes of Chilean fruit. In addition to Chilean Winter fruit, the Port receives over one million tons per year of bananas and tropical fruits from Central and South America, imported by Dole and Chiquita, the nation’s two largest banana suppliers. Other fruit imports shipped through Wilmington include New Zealand apples, pears and kiwifruit, and melons from Central America. The Port has nearly 700,000 square feet of dockside cold storage warehouses, including controlled atmosphere rooms, along the Christina River for the handling and distribution of fresh fruits and produce. Founded
in 1923, the Port
of Wilmington is an important asset for the local and
regional economy, generating over 4,900 jobs and contributing over $16
million in annual tax revenues to State and local government. The
Port is owned and operated by the Diamond State Port Corporation, a
corporation of the State of Delaware. For further information,
digital photos, free tours of the Port and free speakers contact: Vered
Nohi-Becker, Marketing Services Manager at the Port of Wilmington @
(302) 472-7819, e-mail: vnbecker@port.state.de.us
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