JANUARY 2025 saw Hong Kong handling a record 6,500 containers of Chilean cherries in a single month after the pandemic.
Most of the containers, destined for the Mainland China markets, were handled at Modern Terminals, primarily from the 'Cherry Express' service operated by Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, ONE and HMM.
Modern Terminals is a member of the Hong Kong Seaport Alliance operating 23 berths with a reefer plug capacity of over 7,800 plugs.
The tasty red cherry from Chile symbolises joy, blessings and good fortune, making it a popular gift in the weeks leading up to the celebration of the Chinese New Year.
With this year's first day of the Chinese New Year falling on Wednesday January 29, large quantities of Chilean cherry containers arrived in the last 3-4 weeks of January, making it a record month, according to a Modern Terminals statement.
Hong Kong handles about 40 per cent of the Chilean cherries shipped into Mainland China and remains the largest gateway port for this seasonal business that is said to have produced record export volumes from Chile to China in the 2024/2025 season.
The reliability of the services provided by the Hong Kong terminals is invaluable for the exporters in Chile and the importers in South China when efficient and speedy delivery to consumers all over China is important.
Nearly 50 per cent of cherry containers discharged in Hong Kong are dispatched from the terminals within one hour of discharge. A few hours later the products are available in the large wholesale markets in South China.
Group managing director of Modern Terminals, Horace Lo said: 'While we still have a few more ships arriving in Hong Kong over the next few weeks, we expect a growth of 40-50 per cent in the Chilean cherry container volumes handled through Hong Kong in the 2024/2025 season.
'We will never stop working with stakeholders to explore where we can still improve and remain committed to deliver world-class service to all stakeholders in the Chilean cherry business to retain their trust and confidence in the Port of Hong Kong.'
SeaNews Turkey
Most of the containers, destined for the Mainland China markets, were handled at Modern Terminals, primarily from the 'Cherry Express' service operated by Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, ONE and HMM.
Modern Terminals is a member of the Hong Kong Seaport Alliance operating 23 berths with a reefer plug capacity of over 7,800 plugs.
The tasty red cherry from Chile symbolises joy, blessings and good fortune, making it a popular gift in the weeks leading up to the celebration of the Chinese New Year.
With this year's first day of the Chinese New Year falling on Wednesday January 29, large quantities of Chilean cherry containers arrived in the last 3-4 weeks of January, making it a record month, according to a Modern Terminals statement.
Hong Kong handles about 40 per cent of the Chilean cherries shipped into Mainland China and remains the largest gateway port for this seasonal business that is said to have produced record export volumes from Chile to China in the 2024/2025 season.
The reliability of the services provided by the Hong Kong terminals is invaluable for the exporters in Chile and the importers in South China when efficient and speedy delivery to consumers all over China is important.
Nearly 50 per cent of cherry containers discharged in Hong Kong are dispatched from the terminals within one hour of discharge. A few hours later the products are available in the large wholesale markets in South China.
Group managing director of Modern Terminals, Horace Lo said: 'While we still have a few more ships arriving in Hong Kong over the next few weeks, we expect a growth of 40-50 per cent in the Chilean cherry container volumes handled through Hong Kong in the 2024/2025 season.
'We will never stop working with stakeholders to explore where we can still improve and remain committed to deliver world-class service to all stakeholders in the Chilean cherry business to retain their trust and confidence in the Port of Hong Kong.'
SeaNews Turkey
