The largest container vessel to ever call at the Port of Philadelphia arrived this week at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, carrying predominantly perishable fruit.

The origin of most of the cargo was from Chile and Peru and included table grapes, peaches, plums, pears and blueberries.

PhilaPort has a long history of trade with the two South American countries, according to a release.

In 2017, the value of the cargo originating from Chile had a value of over US$1.1 billion and US$475 million from Peru - a 15% year-on-year increase overall.

“Being able to handle a 12,200 TEU container capacity vessel is a game changer,” the port's CEO Jeff Theobald said.

“This size of vessel is increasingly being used as the workhorse for shipping lines around the world. It’s the reason why we are working so hard to make the necessary capital improvements which we have planned as quickly as possible.”

The port is currently implementing a US$300 million infrastructure improvement plan which includes wharf strengthening, new cranes, and paving.

In 2017, the port saw 19% growth in its containerized cargo volumes, handling 548,000 containers.

“It’s great to see this new class of vessel here before we have our new cranes and the official opening of the new deeper channel," Holt Logistics president Tom Holt said.

“It’s definitely a sign of more good things to come.”

The M/V MSC Shuba B is as large as the new 60-story Comcast Technology Building being constructed in Philadelphia at 1,100 feet long and a deadweight of 134,000 meters. This is the largest class of vessel that MSC currently has calling the U.S. East Coast.

www.freshfruitportal.com