Gloucester Marine Terminal, LLC celebrated the first arrival of fresh Chilean fruit yesterday with the discharge of the M/V Baltic Jasmine. The vessel, which unloaded nearly 2,500 tons of grapes, plums, nectarines and other products, arrived just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
“Having the first vessel is a responsibility that we take seriously,” said Peter Inskeep, of the Gloucester Marine Terminal. “We have placed a huge emphasis on the culture of food safety, and once again our terminal has been awarded the highest SQF Level II certification. This means that the delicious products that pass through our hands from Chile, Peru, Brazil, Spain, Morocco, Central America and South Africa are guaranteed safe handling.”
The Baltic Jasmine is part of the fleet owned and managed by Baltic Shipping, a long-time customer of the Gloucester Terminal. Ricardo Barckhahn, General Manager of Baltic Shipping Chile said, “We are proud to continue our many decades of service to the Port of Philadelphia at our home, the Gloucester Marine Terminal. Our fleet is geared to the specialized delivery of fruits and food products throughout the world and we are ready for the season. We have been gratified to see major US retailers embrace the importance of Food Safety and the use of terminals that have SQF Certification. This is the legacy of the US FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act.”
“The 2018/2019 fruit season promises to be a good one, and this means increased consumer access to lots of fresh and healthy products from our partners around the world. Today’s Superfoods arrive each and every month, fulfilling important nutritional categories,” said Eric Holt on behalf of Holt Logistics Corp.
Weekly service for Chilean winter fruit will continue through April 2019, at which point more seasonal products will begin to flow into the port.
