Peru enters new stage of foreign trade as it receives largest ship in its history
Lima, Sep 4 (EFE).- Peru’s port of Callao on Monday received the largest ship that has ever docked in the country, opening a new stage in foreign trade and logistics that authorities expect will help reduce import and export prices and improve connections with international markets.
“Today is a very important day for Peruvian port history because, thanks to the arrival of this ship, there will be many more opportunities for exports of Peruvian products, and the cost of imports of what we can buy in supermarkets will go down thanks to this additional competitiveness,” operating company DP World Callao executive Nicolás Gauthier told EFE.
The enormous ship measures 400 meters long, supports 186,000 tons and is almost three times higher than the tallest building in Peru.
With its arrival, the South Pier terminal of the port of Callao, managed by the United Arab Emirates company DP World, becomes the only one in the country authorized to receive this type of ship.
Belonging to the French shipping agency CMA CGM and named after the German geographer and scientist Alexander von Humboldt, the ship arrived Monday amid great expectation from Colombia and Mexico and, as Gauthier said, the fact that the port of Callao can receive these mega ships will improve connectivity with Asia, Europe and the United States.
Furthermore, due to the large cargo capacity, their arrival will reduce transit times between the main ports in the region.
“It means a source of pride for Peruvians and we are also going to connect, thanks to the ship, to more countries in the world with greater speed and lower logistical costs, which means that Peruvian exports of fruit and fish will reach the supermarkets in London, New York, Shanghai and Dubai with lower costs and higher competitiveness,” said Gauthier.
“The arrival of ships of these dimensions marks a significant milestone because it improves the competitiveness of our country with the main trading partners in terms of both exports and imports,” said Vice Minister of Foreign Trade Teresa Mera at the opening ceremony.
She added that 80 percent of Peruvian exports leave the country by sea, so “it is important to promote development in port infrastructure to the extent that it has been an engine for Peruvian growth and foreign trade.”
Near the ship, work was being carried out on the expansion of the Bicentennial Dock by DP World. It will be inaugurated in April 2024, but its operations will begin on Sep. 15.
Gauthier said that the company is expanding the dock through an investment of $400 million to increase its capacity by 80 percent.
“We are going to go from having a port with the capacity of 1.5 million containers to one with up to 2.7 million per year,” he said. EFE
pbc/tw
