Dole Fresh Fruit Co. has signed a 24.5-year lease extension with the Port of San Diego.
The port agreed to invest about $7 million in power equipment at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal to service Dole vessels, according to a news release. Under new California Air Resources Board regulations, berthed vessels must use shore power to reduce diesel emissions.
Dole Fresh Fruit has imported and exported from San Diego since moving there in 2002 from the Port of Los Angeles.
The board of port commissioners unanimously approved the lease Aug. 14, when it also held a signing ceremony.
The agreement is mutually beneficially, according to Stuart Jablon, vice president of operations at Dole Fresh Fruit.
“We are pleased to be able to provide an economic boost to the region and at the same time, improve air quality around the terminal,” Jablon said in the release.
The new lease also extends Dole’s operating area to a warehouse offsite the terminal. The goal is to eliminate truck staging and off-terminal operations from residential areas.
The Port of San Diego is Dole’s first stop for fresh fruit moving into the U.S. from South America. The port receives about 95,000 20-foot containers of Dole fruit annually.
“Dole’s continued presence here also underscores the significance of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal for cargo operations and regional economic vitality, including jobs with family-sustaining wages,” said Lou Smith, chairman of the board of port commissioners.
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