Third banana transporter put into dry dock (From Boating Cornwall)
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Third banana transporter put into dry dock
11:51am Wednesday 8th February 2012 in News By David Barnicoat
Star Best sails from the harbour. Picture: STEPHEN IVALL
The reefer (refrigerated cargo vessel) Star Prima, currently dry-docked in Number 2 dock is the third vessel of a three-ship repair contract being undertaken by A&P Falmouth.
Star Stratos and Star Best have already completed their respective dry-dockings.
Owned by Star Reefers, one of the world’s largest reefer operators, the 22 knots service speed ships are on charter to Fyffes carrying bananas on a weekly service from Santa Marta, Colombia, to Antwerp, Belgium, and Portsmouth, a distance of 6,500 miles.
The ships are scheduled to arrive at Portsmouth every Wednesday afternoon and sail again on Friday for Colombia on what Fyffes designate their C service.
Bananas, a major source of nutrition, are the fruit equivalent to crude oil with some 15 million tonnes being imported around the globe annually, The market is regionally concentrated in terms of the exporting countries, with the major export countries located in the Caribbean, South American and South East Asian countries. Major importing regions are Europe, North America and North Asia.
The United States of America is the major importing country for bananas, along with Belgium-Luxemburg, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan.
