LA port completes fruit terminal improvements
The Port of Los Angeles has announced the completion of improvements to the fruit cold-cargo terminals.
By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas & Pacific Correspondent
LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles, Calif., announced that they completed more than $1 million in improvements to the breakbulk terminal building at Berths 54 and 55.
According to a press release, the improvements were completed by the port authority and the SSA Marine operator of the terminal.
The SSA Marine terminal serves as the main stop for Chilean fruit to Pacific Coast on the United States seaboard.
This includes the important processing hub for imported grapes, stone fruit, kiwi, and avocados from the Republic of Chile, in Latin America. Roughly 70,000 to 90,000 metric tons of perishable products go through the SSA Marine operated terminal every winter.
“Being equipped to handle breakbulk shipments efficiently for our customers is an important priority at our Port,” said Marcel van Dijk, the cold storage shipments cargo marketing manager for the Port of Los Angeles, in a statement.
“U.S. consumers expect fresh produce on grocery shelves year-round, and we are committed to having the best possible infrastructure and facilities in place to assure that perishables get to market quickly and expediently,” van Dijk said.
The port also notes that “the building is the main staging area for the pallets of Chilean produce off-loaded by specialized refrigerated vessels at the terminal.”
“The Port’s vast network of refrigerated trucking services and cold storage facilities then safeguard the perishable commodities in transit to grocers, produce markets, and distribution centers—to as far north as the Canadian Border and Texas to the east.”
