The Port of Wilmington and Dole have completed their new lease deal.
The Port’s biggest customer and Diamond State Port Corporation tentatively agreed to a 15-year contract with two, ten-year extensions in August. They officially signed the deal Tuesday.
“The Port has been a vital hub of commerce in Delaware for nearly a century. Today it remains as important as ever thanks to customers like Dole, which connect our state to the global economy, provide jobs for hard-working Delawareans and ensure a dependable flow of revenue for our economy,” Gov. Jack Markell (D-Delaware) said in a statement.
"We have been at the Port of Wilmington for more than 30 years and this agreement with the Diamond State Port Corporation reaffirms our commitment to the people of Delaware, the longshoremen, our employees, vendors and customers," added Stuart Jablon, Vice President and General Manager of Operations for Dole Fresh Fruit in his own statement.
Dole’s lease covers nearly 38 acres of terminal space at the Port and about 100,000 square feet of warehouse and office space.
In addition to outlining the terms governing Dole’s usage of the Port, the lease also includes commitments by the Diamond State Port Corporation’s such as increasing the number of cranes and other upgrades.
Dole’s existing lease was set to expire in 2015 and it had considered operating through the Port of Paulsboro in New Jersey.
State officials say keeping Dole at the Port sustains 850 jobs.