‘From Chancay to Shanghai’: New China-Peru BRI project to become hub, gateway port of Latin America

China and Peru are located on opposite sides of the world, separated by the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. In the past, this distance seemed unimaginable.

However, a new port project is making such a distant journey less difficult.

The Chancay Port project is a collaborative project between China and Peru under the Belt and Road Initiative. Located in the Chancay district of the province of Huaral, Peru, the port is approximately 80 kilometers from the capital, Lima.

Chancay Port is positioned as Peru’s gateway port and regional hub, connected by a tunnel to the Pan-American Highway, directly linking it to the capital Lima. This enables goods to conveniently reach Peru and other Latin American countries, significantly enhancing trade efficiency, according to the People’s Daily.

On Thursday, this significant project, symbolizing the friendship between China and Peru, finally opened for operations.

The first phase of the Chancay Port project began in 2021 and includes four dock berths. The port’s maximum depth is 17.8 meters, allowing it to accommodate ultra-large container ships with a capacity of up to 18,000 TEUs.

The design throughput capacity is 1 million TEUs annually in the short term, and 1.5 million TEUs in the long term. With over 80 percent of the project completed, the main structures of the docks were finished earlier this year, according to the People’s Daily.

He Bo, deputy general manager at COSCO SHIPPING Ports Chancay Peru, has witnessed the significant progress of the port over the past three years.
“Hills have been leveled, beaches turned into storage yards, breakwaters and docks stand tall in the water, port cranes are on land, and buildings for production and office purposes have sprung up,” He told the People’s Daily.

“From Chancay to Shanghai” is a phrase well-known among locals. He Bo explained that the Spanish pronunciations of these two important port cities, Chancay and Shanghai, are very similar. Initially, locals would confuse them, but now they are familiar with both names.
Before Chancay, most of Peru’s cargo shipments to Asia and Oceania had to be transshipped through Central or North America, and port capacity could not meet the demands of growing foreign trade.

Today, the phrase “From Chancay to Shanghai” will become a reality. With the opening of the new land-sea corridor between China and Latin America, the shipping time between Peru and China will be shortened by about 10 days.

As the construction of Chancay Port progresses, jobs related to the project have become highly sought after locally. Sun Yan, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at Ricardo Palma University, told the Xinhua News Agency that many Peruvian students from the institute are eager to use their language skills to apply at the port for positions such as translators, technical staff, and operators.

Moreover, thanks to China’s advanced technology and the environmental awareness of Chinese companies, Chancay Port is being developed as a green, low-carbon, and modern smart port. Dock workers demonstrated electric container trucks with autonomous driving technology, which travel quietly and precisely, Xinhua reported.

Near the entrance to the project site, there is a wetland. In the evening, birds come and go, bringing life to the area.

He Bo mentioned that Chinese companies constructing the port have paid attention to controlling noise, lighting, and dust during construction, minimizing the impact on the wetland “residents,” and have actively participated in rescuing seals, penguins, pelicans, and other animals to help improve local biodiversity.

With Chancay Port, the distance between China and Peru is no longer as far as it once seemed.