MSC Lorena, our largest shipment ever!
Please enjoy the video below of the MSC Lorena filmed in Cape Town earlier in July! This was our group’s largest shipment load to-date. Not only will we stop at the Port of Philadelphia with this vessel, but we will also be unloading product in Savannah.
As a group we are shipping to the world’s most demanding market, the U.S., and our challenges are real. We are working with a commodity that has an ever-changing lifecycle which requires many key players to execute this program with excellence.
Shipping opportunities from Cape Town, South Africa to the U.S. remain a huge challenge, especially for reefer cargo. We want to be in Philadelphia, as that is where our importers and repacking infrastructures are located, as well as the retailers that buy our fruit. Up until recent years, we have mostly charted our own dedicated conventional vessels, but the demand for our product was growing at such a high rate that a container service was also necessary.
Since 2023, MSC has offered a seasonal container port call into Philadelphia, and every season our business has grown stronger and stronger. In July 2025, we loaded our biggest shipment ever, which was a huge accomplishment for all the key players involved.
In this week’s highlight video linked above, you will see our beautiful product, our local supply-chain service providers, and the MSC Lorena loading at the port of Cape Town.
June and July were very busy months for us, to such an extent that we have now loaded +/- 85% of our estimated product. Typically, this time of the year we would be at +/- 60%, but as the demand for our product has been growing, our available supply was able to meet and exceed that.
Tariffs continue to hang over our heads, not only for our growers, but for the total supply-chain infrastructure both here in South Africa and the U.S. Based on the demand of the market, some major investments have been made on the U.S. East Coast by 1) the port, either by the state or the two privately operated marine terminals in Philadelphia, and 2) the major importers involved with repacking facilities and distribution centers. Furthermore, we are complementing local citrus production by offering U.S. consumers fresh, sweet, delicious citrus in the summer, when otherwise unavailable.
Please stay up-to-date during the season and reach to out to our grower-exporters or importers to secure your citrus during the summer months.
Proudly shipping and selling the world’s finest Summer Citrus!
Thank you for the continued support!
Suhanra Conradie
CEO – Summer Citrus from South Africa
suhanra@summercitrus.com
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