Port of Wilmington’s Darling Clementines

The Port of Wilmington, Delaware, has set a record for the largest single shipment of fresh Moroccan citrus received by the port, with more than 1.75 million boxes of cargo.

This record volume was transported from Agadir, Morocco, to Wilmington onboard the specialized refrigerated vessel M.V. Ditlev Reefer, arriving at the port Nov. 28, 2018. The cargo of easy-peeler clementines shattered the previous best mark by 37 percent.

Moroccan citrus has been flowing through the marine terminal for 19 consecutive years in service to customer Fresh Fruit Maroc, fulfilling its role as a major port of entry and distribution center for the seasonal fruit imports. This includes the popular clementine and, as the November through March season progresses, the Nour and Nadorcott varieties.

The port stores the cargo in its 800,000-square-foot on-dock refrigerated warehouse complex before distribution to markets throughout the United States and Canada. The Port of Wilmington handled more than 10.7 million boxes of Moroccan citrus in the 2018-19 season.