Summer Citrus from South Africa Announces Largest Shipment Ever; Suhanra Conradie Comments

SOUTH AFRICA - Early last month, a Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) vessel, named MSC Lorena, left Cape Town and carried the supplier’s largest shipment to date to the United States. The vessel made its first stop at the Port of Philadelphia before unloading in Savannah, Georgia.

“As a group, we are shipping to the world’s most demanding market, the U.S., and our challenges are real,” Suhanra Conradie, Chief Executive Officer, wrote in a season update. “We are working with a commodity that has an ever-changing lifecycle, which requires many key players to execute this program with excellence.”

The update stated that up until recent years, SCSA has mostly utilized its own dedicated conventional vessels. However, the demand for its 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,” Suhanra continued.

SCSA stayed very busy in June and July—to such an extent that the supplier has now loaded roughly 85 percent of its estimated product. Typically, at this time of the year, SCSA would be at roughly 60 percent, the report stated.

“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,” Suhanra concluded. “Furthermore, we are complementing local citrus production by offering U.S. consumers fresh, sweet, delicious citrus in the summer, when otherwise unavailable.”

We will keep an eye out for more citrus updates, so stick with ANUK.