Del Monte Fresh Produce is replacing its East Coast fleet with six container ships that will deliver produce from Central and South America to the U.S.
The delivery of the first ship is estimated to be in late 2019, according to a news release.
The vessels were designed by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute in Shanghai, China, and are being built at the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute, Guangzhou, China.
Each vessel will have a capacity of 634 40-foot high cube container capacity, according to the release.
Dennis Christou, vice president of marketing for Del Monte, said in the release that the new container vessels will increase the company’s tonnage capacity and “speed to market.”
“The new energy efficient vessels are designed to meet the most stringent (International Maritime Organization) emission control regulations coming into effect in 2020,” Christou said in the release.
Christou said Del Monte was one of the first large-scale banana companies to receive SCS Carbon Neutral Certification for banana operations in Costa Rica.
The new ships will reduce air pollution and fuel consumption.
“These new ships are an extension of our sustainability commitment on the high seas,” he said in the release.
