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MSC has established the largest capacity for refrigerated containers, reinforcing its position as the top liner operator. According to Alphaliner's report, MSC's fleet has expanded by nearly 20% over the past year, with its 815 ships equipped with 583,700 reefer plugs, marking an increase of almost 18%. Ocean Network Express (ONE) is the only company with more significant growth in the number of reefer plugs, at approximately 23%. This pan-Japanese carrier increased its overall fleet by 17.5%.

Sopisco News is the leading source of reliable premium news, no other newsletter covers the banana market like Sopisco News the information leader in the banana shipping and cool logistics industries. Complete information is available only to our subscribers. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ADVERTISEMENT PLEASE CONTACT admin@novamedia.ws or info@sopisconews.online

On April 5, 2024, a diplomatic crisis was sparked between Ecuador and Mexico due to comments made by the Mexican President about the assassination of a presidential candidate in Ecuador. The Government in Quito declared the Mexican ambassador, Raquel Serur Smeke, persona non grata on the evening of April 4, with plans for the diplomat to be swiftly recalled to Mexico.

Anticipating a 15% increase in export volumes this year due to bountiful harvests, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring another successful citrus fruit season in South Africa. To accommodate the volume surge, all container terminals across KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) will feature dedicated lanes for refrigerated containers at the gates, says Michelle van Buren Schele, TPT's General Manager of Commercial and Planning.

A Turkish freight forwarder chartered a vessel that delivered the first containers to Ukraine's Black Sea ports in Greater Odesa since the war began in February 2022. This marks a significant increase in the country's capacity to handle goods entering and exiting its ports. The general cargo vessel T-Mare, flying under the Panamanian flag and owned by Majoris Trading of the Marshall Islands, was chartered on February 1, according to VesselsValue data.

Del Monte, a global produce producer and distributor, has introduced a pineapple that is just the right size for one person. Inspired by the pulse pineapples common in Thailand, this new product is designed with individual consumers in mind. In March, Del Monte announced the launch of the Precious Honeyglow pineapple, a "personal-sized" fruit that weighs only 1.5 to 2 pounds, about half the size of an average pineapple.

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The value-added tax (VAT) is nearing the end of its first week since the increase from 12% to 15% took effect on April 1 in Ecuador. Export-focused productive sectors are evaluating the impact of this hike, determining whether they can absorb it or if it will be reflected in the final price of their products, such as the banana box. The banana sector is conducting these analyses amidst a 3% decrease in fruit exports in January and February of the previous year, translating to approximately two million fewer boxes exported compared to the same period in 2023.

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has commenced a trial shipment of the world's first dual-temperature reefer container with controlled atmosphere (C.A.) functions. This innovative container can maintain perishable cargo in different temperature zones, significantly advancing marine transportation.

Dole plc, the Dublin-based company, has cancelled the sale of its fresh vegetable’s unit to Fresh Express. This decision comes more than a year after the deal was announced with Fresh Express's parent company. In January of the previous year, Dole agreed to sell its U.S. vegetable division to Fresh Express, a subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International, for $293 million.

Tesco, the U.K.'s leading grocer, has issued an important notice to its shoppers who purchase bananas. The supermarket has posted a helpful guide on its website, providing customers with tips on optimally using their bananas, even those past their prime. According to Tesco, bananas are the U.K.'s most beloved fruit. Astonishingly, more than 5 billion bananas are purchased every year. However, about 10% of these, or 1.4 million bananas, are wasted daily.

From Monday to Wednesday, banana selling prices in St. Petersburg were around USD 20.10 per box CIF. However, they started a downward trend afterwards, dropping to USD 19.05-19.60 per box CIF by Friday, March 29th. The market weakened due to low demand and high volumes of bananas discharged in week 12. According to local traders, this will also affect prices in week 13. Almost 3.29 million boxes were discharged in week 12, and 1.81 million are expected in week 13. There were difficulties at transit markets, with at least one case reported of importers from Uzbekistan refraining from paying bananas to exporters from Ecuador—an importer with a contract of 30 containers per week abandoned at most minuscule 30 FEUs. Difficulties were also experienced in other transit countries’ markets, such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, where consistent volumes of bananas from origins other than Ecuador were imported. According to local traders, the larger volumes of bananas imported from India, China, Egypt, and other countries sold at lower prices affected the trade with Ecuador, and two more weeks might be necessary to clear the volumes of the fruit of origin different from those of Ecuador.

IITA-CGIAR and six national agricultural research centres have signed the Mchare and Matooke Regional Target Product Profiles. This agreement aims to enhance banana breeding and its impact in East Africa, serving smallholder farmers and their families more effectively. The deal was signed during the recent East Africa Banana Network Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, to jointly develop and test new banana hybrids in the highlands of Eastern Africa, following standardized breeding and testing procedures.

The major carriers are scrambling to assist customers and formulate plans in the wake of this week's incident, which suspended vessel traffic in the Port of Baltimore indefinitely. While no container vessels were on the dock at the time of the incident, CMA CGM reports that the terminal stopped receiving exports as of 11 a.m. on March 26, prompting the carrier to issue a notice of Force Majeure to customers.