GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — The state Port at Gulfport and Dole Fresh Fruit Co. are finalizing a deal to keep the company at the port for 13 years with renewal options that extend through 2037.
Under the agreement, Dole will relocate their operations to the West Pier, significantly increasing capacity at the port. The state of Mississippi is investing $30 million in the West Pier terminal construction for Dole.
The money is part of $570 million the federal government gave the port for West Pier expansion and restoration post-Hurricane Katrina in exchange for creating 1,300 jobs.
Dole is the port’s largest tenant. Chiquita has announced it is moving to New Orleans by the end of the year.
“It’s great news for the port; it’s great news for the region as a whole,” Mississippi Port Authority Executive Director and CEO Jonathan Daniels said Tuesday.
Daniels said the new agreement has Dole relocating to the Chiquita facility and eventually to a new terminal. This move will nearly double Dole’s storage space at the port.
