Four break bulk cargo ships from Peru's Port of Paracas will arrive in Philadelphia this season at the Port of Gloucester in New Jersey. They will carry shipments of Peruvian table grapes. The first vessel will arrive on January 16, marking a historic milestone for the country’s agricultural exports.
Dayka & Hackett, in partnership with Walmart and the efforts of SENASA of Peru and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, accomplished this breakthrough, offering the Peruvian industry a new alternative to shipping fruit in containers.
“This had never been done from Peru; we worked for a long time with SENASA, PROVID (the table grape association), the shipping companies, and the ports to achieve this operation in break bulk ships,” said Tony Calvillo, vice president of International Business Development at Dayka & Hackett, in an interview with Freshfruitportal.com.
Calvillo emphasized that this method is more efficient, particularly given the global container shortage. He explained that a demand that exceeds the inventory creates substantial congestion in container terminals.
“However, the break bulk ships arrive at private terminals less congested. Therefore, we skip all that congestion, and the fruit can be unloaded faster,” Calvillo said.
This alternative shipping method also enhances Peru's competitiveness, especially in light of rising container tariffs.
Tony Calvillo at Paracas Port
A second ship is on its way, a third is about to sail, and the fourth is ready to leave next week.
“For next season, everyone is already very interested in this operation, as it will be a success and is an excellent alternative to the only option we had in the past for Peruvian table grapes,” he added.
The first vessel to arrive in Philadelphia carries 3,876 pallets and 76 containers of grapes.
“The second, third, and fourth vessels bring around 4,500 pallets and 100 containers each,” Calvillo said. He added that this method favors Peruvian grape exports to the United States, especially during the winter in the northern hemisphere, when operations become longer and congestion at ports builds up.
“These ships skip the line and avoid the 7 to 10-day congestion in the ports today. The weather has worsened the logistical situation, which helps the product,” Calvillo said.
Regarding the benefits brought by implementing this system, he said that it would open doors to new markets because of the logistical alternative.
“In addition, this will help Chile a lot since, in recent years, a bottleneck has been created due to the increase in exports from Peru, which has forced the country to finish its season later than normal,” he said.
Therefore, this alternative allows the product to be moved out more quickly, removing a large volume from Peru during peak arrivals and giving more space to Chilean grapes.
The increase in inventory movement will open windows to both countries and reduce congestion at ports and U.S. supermarkets during the season, avoiding the collapse that occurred in the last two years.
Dayka & Hackett thanked the exporters, the Port of Paracas, Seatrade, Global Reefers, Operadores Logistics, QC Fresh, PROVID, SENASA, and the authorities for their commitment and effort in successfully operating the first Peruvian-to-U.S. camera vessel in Cold Stream.
*Photos courtesy of Tony Calvillo
