Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) boss Soren Toft has warned of some difficult times ahead for the container shipping sector. Taking to social media to share his thoughts on how the market and MSC were developing at the end of the third quarter Toft, CEO of MSC, commented that the market was "normalizing".

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), below-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) continued across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean during September. Most Niño indices decreased during the past month, with the latest weekly index values spanning -0.8ºC to -1.6ºC. Negative subsurface temperature anomalies mainly remained unchanged for the last couple of months, reflecting the persistence of below-average temperatures across the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Hainan bananas have entered the closing stage, and prices continue to move chaotically. Merchants gradually moved to the two Guangzhou areas, and some production areas in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, were at the peak of listing, becoming the mainstream banana-producing areas in China.

To support healthy nutrition and reduce school absenteeism of children in the communities near Fyffes melon-producing farms in Choluteca, Honduras, Fyffes, and the Food Bank of Honduras have created a pilot programme, 'Nutrition with Melon Flavour' (or 'Nutrición con Sabor a Melón') which has already benefited 138 families. The beneficiaries of the pilot programme are students from the Ramón Villeda Morales and Manuel Milciades Mendieta schools, from the communities of La Permuta and Tablones Abajo, both from the municipality of Santa Ana de Yusguare, Choluteca.

The Australian Banana Growers' Council (ABGC) announced the appointment of Leanne Erakovic as its new Chief Executive Officer following the retirement of Jim Pekin. Ms Erakovic's appointment follows a lengthy and thorough selection process managed by a specialist recruitment firm. She has been with the ABGC for six years as an Executive Officer.

On the way to fairer pricing in the banana supply chain, Aldi Süd has decided to take a new approach to procurement policy. Aldi Süd is now committed to long-term supplier relationships, stable purchase quantities, and covering sustainable production costs. At the same time, the discounter obliges its suppliers to disclose all relevant expenses. The aim is to enable the producers in the countries of origin to earn a living.

Mann Packing Company announced that it has officially completed the final stages of its integration as the vegetable division of Fresh Del Monte Produce. The final step of the 2018 acquisition includes the complete fusion of all teams, including sales, sales support, finance, logistics, sustainability/quality control, marketing, and innovation – all of which fall under the Fresh Del Monte network.

CargoMate enables Hapag-Lloyd's crews and shore-based teams to monitor cargo operations more efficiently and safely. Intelligent Cargo Systems, one of the world leaders in providing unique real-time port call visibility to ocean carriers, has extended its agreement with Hapag-Lloyd to give the carrier a complete managed fleet with the CargoMate platform.

Shortages of reefer containers and escalating costs are affecting global flows of perishables. Some producers may pivot to domestic markets, but the international growth potential is mouth-watering. Reefer vessels are enjoying a renaissance, with time charter rates up in the triple-digit range from pre-pandemic levels.

Competition among the container carriers and their terminal operators will be heating up in Egypt in the coming years as the country works to become the home of one of the primary transshipping operations in the Mediterranean. The Suez Canal Authority reports that Maersk will be investing $500 million in the expansion and modernization of its terminal operation. At the same time, Hapag announced plans for a new terminal operation in Egypt two months ago.

Between January and July of this year, Peruvian exports of fresh bananas amounted to 99 thousand tons, representing an increase of 52% compared to what was shipped in the same period last year. This was stated by the president of the consulting firm Inform@cción, Fernando Cillóniz, who highlighted the recovery that banana shipments from Peru have been registering after four straight years of chronic decline in the volumes shipped (2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021).

Reefer container freight rates across global trades rose over 50 per cent to 2Q22, matching gains in dry cargo pricing and are estimated to increase further in 3Q22, outpacing dry box rates. "Some stabilization is already underway on some reefer trades and this is expected to be followed by modest declines through 2023 as cargo owners push back on unsustainable freight rate increases," according to Drewry's recently published Reefer Shipping Annual Review and Forecast 2022/23.

In July 2022, the three banana producers operating in Cameroon exported 13,203 tonnes, according to the Banana Association of Cameroon (Assobacam). This corresponds to an increase of 744 tonnes (+6%) compared to the 12,459 tonnes shipped to the international market in July 2021.

In the first half of this year, the National Insurance Institute (INS) of Costa Rica had to disburse more than ¢82 million to pay for the policies of banana producers. It is insurance that protects farmers from pests and diseases in their plantations. The policy is a fundamental guarantee for banking and financial entities granting credit to producers throughout the country.

The Dominican Republic advances with a program to modernize the port of Manzanillo and the Cibao Northwest region. The plan "will improve the competitiveness of exports of goods originating in Cibao, which represents 38% of national exports and currently leaves through the ports of Haina and Caucedo," the Minister of Economy, Pável Isa Contreras, said while visiting the facilities last week. The public-private partnership program contemplates the remodelling of Los Coquitos beach and the landfill in the area.