Port scuttlebutt - July 2000

Return of the Australian Oranges

Navel oranges from “Down Under” have begun to arrive in the US through the Port of Wilmington.  On July 10th, the first shipment of 147,000 cartons of orange was unloaded from a “reefer” vessel by Wilmington longshoremen and placed in dockside cold storage warehouses for distribution.  Australian navels first made their debut in US markets back in 1993, when the first vessel shipments arrived in Wilmington.  In recent years, however, the Australian shippers have chosen to send all of their fruit through the West Coast Port of San Diego, which was closer to Australia and offered a shorter transit time.  Oranges destined for the East Coast were sent overland by truck from San Diego.

Now Wilmington is back in the picture as a discharge port, as sales of the popular Australian navel oranges in East Coast markets have skyrocketed.  DNE World Fruit Sales of Fort Pierce, Florida are the importers and sole marketers of Australian citrus in the US.  They are happy to return to Wilmington to revive the long-standing relations they have had with the Port of Wilmington since 1993.

The Australian oranges enjoy a fairly narrow market “window of opportunity” from July through early September, before California navels are harvested and sold.  They are grown in three districts of south Australia – Riverland, Riverina and Sunraysia – and loaded at the South Australia Port of Adelaide.  A total of POW shipload of Australian navels is expected to arrive in Wilmington this summer.

New Member of the Board of Directors

The Delaware State Senate has approved Governor Tom Carper’s newest appointee to the Board of Directors of the Diamond State Port Corporation, Mr. Douglas B. Catts.  Mr. Catts will be introduced at the next Corporation’s Board of Directors meeting as the 9th member of the Board.  The Diamond State Port Corporation is a corporation of the State of Delaware, which has owned and operated the Port of Wilmington since 1995.

Mr. Catts is a graduate of Seaford High School, George Washington University, and George Washington University Law School.  He served in the US Military from 1969 to 1971.  He was admitted to the Delaware Bar in April 1975 and the US District Court in September 1975.  Since 1975, he has been an attorney with the law firm of Schmittinger & Rodriquez, P.A., and has numerous professional and civic affiliations.  Mr. Catts is married and has two children, ages 17 and 20.

“I welcome Mr. Catts to the Diamond State Port Corporation’s Board of Directors and to Wilmington’s maritime community.  I am convinced that with his experience and talent he will make a great contribution to the Port’s development and success”, said Secretary of State and Chair of the Board of Directors, Edward J. Freel.

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