The Port of Callao in Lima, Peru, has consolidated its position of leadership on the South American Pacific Coast, after handling 1.6m containers in 2011, up 20 per cent on 2010, according to a maritime bulletin from the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (CEPAL).
The result moves Callao, whose south pier is operated by DP World and north pier by APM Terminals, above of the Port of Guayaquil in Ecuador – the region’s largest banana port – which handled 1.4m twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) containers last year.
The Chilean ports of Valparaíso and San Antonio occupied the third and fourth spots last year, with 973,000 TEUs and 854,000 TEUs respectively, the report said.
The Port of Buenaventura in Colombia ranked just behind its Chilean counterparts with 748,000 TEUs last year.
Peru’s other ports – Paita and Matarani – also recorded an upturn in throughput; handling 153,000 TEUs (up 21.4 per cent) and 21,000 TEUs (an increase of 17.4 per cent) respectively in 2011.
Within the Latin American and Caribbean region as a whole, the Port of Callao ranks in 8th position, while Panama retains its position as the largest port hub, according to the report.
The Panamanian ports of Colón and Balboa handled 3.3m and 3.2m TEUs last year respectively, ahead of Brazil’s Port of Santos with 2.9m TEUs and the Port of Cartagena in Colombia with 1.8m TEUs.
