Chancay Port to Launch Container Shipping

LIMA (Reuters) – Peru's massive Chancay port is expected to become a key shipping hub for South America-Asia trade. Beginning late next month, the port will ship two container ships weekly, as announced by Carlos Tejada, general manager of Cosco Shipping Chancay Peru at a recent business forum.

Following its inauguration in mid-November, Chancay will establish a direct route to Shanghai and might expand to other Asian markets based on demand. Tejada stated, "At the end of November, we will begin the stage known as 'test conditioning,' which we expect to run until May. During this soft launch phase, we can already handle actual cargo, with two direct vessels per week."

Additionally, smaller ships will open cabotage routes from Colombia, Ecuador, and Chile, allowing cargo to be shipped to Asia from Chancay. Initially, ships carrying up to 14,000 containers will operate, with plans to increase capacity to larger vessels of 24,000 containers over time.

Cosco Shipping Ports owns 60% of the port operations, while the remaining 40% is held by Peruvian miner Volcan, controlled by Glencore (OTC:GLNCY).