In June 2023, Enstructure assumed management of Port Wilmington from long time operator Gulftainer. Port Wilmington, located at the confluence of the Christina and Delaware Rivers, is owned by the Diamond State Port Corp (DSPC), a quasi-state agency whose board members are appointed by the Governor of Delaware.
Enstructure officials are “very happy” about their partnership at Port Wilmington with the State of Delaware and with the ILA. The desire is to invest in the infrastructure: to be a good partner to the state, to the DSPC and to labor with investing in the facility. The company also wants to respect and grow the perishable cargoes that have been here historically and to continue to diversify the port with some additional year-round cargoes for the port and grow that as part of Enstructure’s larger network of terminals and those relationships it brings to Delaware into Wilmington, whether it’s forest products, auto Ro/Ro, or other breakbulk commodities.
The recent Chiquita announcement only solidifies Wilmington as ground zero for banana imports from Central and South America. Last year Dole Food Company’s Mayan Express deployed an additional 1,200 FEU container vessel between Colombia, Honduras, and Guatemala and Wilmington.
In total, Dole and Chiquita handle more than 1 million tons of bananas annually through Wilmington. Both companies use the port as their mid-Atlantic distribution hub importing bananas and other tropical fruit to supply 200 million U.S. and Canadian consumers.
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