By Andrés Orrego Siebert
Terminal Portuario Valparaíso (TPV) has begun the 2025-2026 fruit export season with reefer vessels with the inaugural call of the Koru, a newly built vessel linked to Cool Carriers that docked at Site No. 8.
The ship is part of the direct service to the US East Coast (USEC) offered by the shipping line specialized in refrigerated transport. The vessel will transport cherries and blueberries in 11 days to Philadelphia.
In this regard, Ricardo Barckhahn, general manager of Cool Carriers (Chile), commented that “this is the result of a conversation with exporters, where it was determined that there is a demand to be able to deliver fruit, mainly stone fruit like cherries and blueberries, two weeks ahead of Christmas to the United States. We made some commercial agreements that worked well and we were willing to provide the vessels, so I would say it is a major milestone.”
“Another important milestone is that this is a 2025 vessel, which demonstrates Cool Carriers’ commitment to the industry. We have been investing for many years in the construction of reefer vessels, last year a program of 20 vessels was completed and this year another one was renewed for 10 more, which should be delivered between 2026 and 2028. Cool Carriers is a company that believes in this industry and, therefore, I believe it is a tremendous milestone,” he added.
Meanwhile, Manuel Cañas, general manager of TPV, stated that “this is an immense challenge, but we are very grateful to Cool Carriers for their trust and for what we are reflecting in Valparaíso. I think it is very important to say that Valparaíso has a port, it is capable of delivering excellent services and where, when working as a team, with frankness and synergy, it is possible to develop.”
“This is the launch we have with Cool Carriers of their first seasonal vessel to arrive before Christmas in the United States. We are scheduled to set sail on Thursday the 4th and, obviously, it is also a milestone, as for many years there have been no reefer vessels in Valparaíso to arrive before Christmas,” he added.
Regarding the handling of reefer vessels during this new season, Cañas emphasized that “initially we are with one vessel per week and then we hope to move to two vessels per week. It is a tremendous challenge for us as a terminal, for our people, the workers, and for the market to handle two reefer vessels weekly per season with two full sites. It is an important challenge that we have taken on with responsibility and with all our people.”
The switch to two vessels should take place in the last week of February and for the season we are talking about the order of 160 thousand exported pallets”.
In turn, Franco Gandolfo, general manager at Empresa Portuaria Valparaíso (EPV), stated that “Terminal No. 2 is one that moves breakbulk cargo and precisely for fruit this terminal is a very important bastion, since a significant part of the fruit volumes are mobilized in reefer vessels, which carry the fruit on pallets and, therefore, Terminal No. 2 is a crucial enclave for these purposes both in its Site No. 6 and its Site No. 8, which is already receiving its first vessel and which will be able to be maintained throughout the fruit period”.
“While multiple factors influence, we understand that this year we are going to mobilize a little more cargo than the previous year, because a good season is seen, there is good weather and a good harvest is starting to occur,” he added.
For her part, Claudia Soler, executive director of the Frutas de Chile Cherry Committee, expressed that “for us, these two fast services that will be available prior to Christmas and New Year are very important. It allows us to reach the market in 12 days, with fruit of very good quality and condition, which is fundamental for us”.
“The United States market is the second most important market for us and last year close to 20 thousand tons were exported. We expect this volume to grow this year, there have already been significant volumes that have gone to the United States and we are investing in promotion campaigns, we have also increased resources and the idea is to carry out activations at point of sale,” she added.
Along the same lines, Andrés Armstrong, executive director of the Frutas de Chile Blueberry Committee, reported that “our estimates for this season are volumes very similar to those of the previous season. Chile, for some years now, has been adjusting its supply based on the greater competition we have in international markets and in recent seasons we have been recovering and maintaining our volumes based on the varietal renewal that producers are carrying out at the orchard level”.
“Also due to the fact of having services like the one we are inaugurating today, which gives us the possibility of reaching our main market, which is the United States, in a very short time, which is a benefit for Chilean fruit for the consumer. It is fundamental for a country like Chile, which is far from all markets, that we do things not only well in the orchards, but also with these services that allow us to arrive quickly,” he emphasized.
The loading process of the Koru, launched in May 2025 and registered under the Panamanian flag, will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, December 1 and it is expected to set sail on the morning of Thursday the 4th.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the vessel, with a length of 158 meters and a beam of 25 meters, is projected to arrive at its final destination on Tuesday the 16th of the last month of the year, as stated in the Cool Carriers itinerary.
