WILMINGTON — Enstructure, which oversees operations at the Port of Wilmington, announced a long-term agreement with Chiquita on June 5 to expand and continue its partnership.

The agreement builds on the existing partnership first established in 1988, when Chiquita consolidated its mid-Atlantic supply chain operations at the Port of Wilmington.

Since then, the Port of Wilmington has become Chiquita’s largest port operation in North America, which handled a fully containerized service between Central America and Wilmington.

Those services includes shipments of bananas, pineapples and other tropical fruits and vegetables, totaling over 200 million American and Canadian consumers.

Chiquita currently makes a weekly vessel call to the Port of Wilmington, which is operated by Enstructure under a long-term concession agreement as part of a public-private partnership at Port Wilmington with the owner, Diamond State Port Corporation.

“This agreement marks a significant milestone for Enstructure, the State of Delaware, and DSPC. We are reinforcing our commitment to the perishable fruit industry, investing in the port’s customers and infrastructure, and increasing job opportunities for our workforce, all while enhancing the quality of service we provide to long-standing partners like Chiquita,” said Enstructure co-CEOs Matthew Satnick and Philippe De Montigny.

“We are grateful to the State of Delaware and the ILA for their support and look forward to ensuring the continued success of Chiquita’s mid-Atlantic supply chain operations and Delaware’s maritime industry.”

Regarding the agreement, Gov. Matt Meyer said, “We win the future when Chiquita, among the world's leading global fruit producers, again chooses the Port of Wilmington … This agreement will fuel job growth and prosperity for Delawareans for years to come.”