The Bosse will likely be sticking around for a little while longer.
The Barbadian flagged transport ship is currently docked at the port of Summerside, waiting to take on a load of potatoes for transport to South America.
The 9,032-ton vessel has been in port since Jan. 17.
David Bellefontaine, spokesman for the Summerside Port Authority, said on Wednesday that the vessel will likely remain docked until at least the end of the month.
Why?
It’s too cold to load potatoes, said Bellefontaine.
“They leave the potatoes in the shed where it’s heated, then when it warms up they work like hell to load the thing up and get it out of here,” he said.
“They leave the potatoes in the shed where it’s heated, then when it warms up they work like hell to load the thing up and get it out of here." - David Bellefontaine, spokesman for the Summerside Port Authority
The cold can damage the potatoes, he said, causing them to bruise or freeze.
This could mean the buyer refusing to take possession once they reach their destination.
It’s just not worth the risk to load the product until workers get several hours with temperatures above -10 Celsius, he said.
Once the Bosse is loaded and departs, it’s unlikely any more potato ships will arrive in port for another couple of months, as ships traditionally don’t arrive mid-winter.
