Dole boosts shipping capacity for tropical fruits

Dole Food Co. says it has added a new weekly vessel service for the Northeast to increase the capacity of tropical fresh fruits including bananas, pineapples, dragon fruit, mangoes and limes.

The route will import produce from Columbia, Honduras and Guatemala into Delaware's Port of Wilmington, according to a news release.

Dole said the service will deploy two 1,200 FEU container vessels — MV Robin-2 and MV Robin-5 — in a 14-day rotation, with one of the vessels making weekly ports of call in Santa Marta, Colombia; Puerto Castilla, Honduras; and a new port of service in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala; before landing in Delaware each Saturday.

The additional vessels will help expand sourcing options, discharges and port rationalization and increase fuel efficiency from the slow-speed operation, the company said.

The new route will not impact current service offerings, according to the release.

Dole said its marine transportation service, Dole Ocean Cargo Express, will also use the vessels for its Mayan Express Service to expand ocean network coverage and an additional alternative to north Central America and the Port of Wilmington. Routes will run to and from Columbia, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Northeast U.S.

“Dole is excited to expand our service level into the Northeast, bringing even more fresh tropical fruit to market,” Nelson Montoya, president of Dole Fresh Fruit North America, said in the release. “Both existing and future Dole customers can be equally excited at this growth in our service as we continue our journey to make the world a healthier place.”