Peru could be a trading hub on the west coast of South America, according to the Chamber of Commerce of Lima. However, it lacks adequate infrastructure, among other deficiencies.
The chairman of the board of directors of the National Port Authority, Edgar Patiño, stated that the Peruvian port system was made up of 85 ports, which have been developed and implemented thanks to the port policy (defined in the Law of the National Port System) that is aligned with the policies of the transport sector, which has allowed the promotion of private investment in the national port system.
However, he said, despite the infrastructure and equipment, the competitiveness of port logistics still hasn't reached its optimum level. "This is due to some factors that affect it, such as a lagging public management regarding what foreign trade demands, cumbersome administrative processes, a non-articulated port logistics community, congestion in access, and insecurity in the transport of goods," he said, even though the Government is working to solve these issues by 2021 through the National Policy of Modernization of Public Management.
"We must create security systems that allow to take preventive and corrective actions against the theft of merchandise during the journey to their destination, as well as illicit drug trafficking", stated Patiño, who added that in the last 10 years almost 4 billion dollars had been invested in the port system.
Regarding port logistics, Patiño said they lacked an articulated port community, with connected processes and information in real time. "To this end, all actors involved in the port logistics community must interact in a common technological platform. A Single Window of Foreign Trade would be an appropriate instrument to do this, because if one of the links in the port logistics chain does not work, it affects the entire chain, causing higher costs and increased time in processes," he said.
Regarding the costs in the services and the transport routes, Ayzanoa assures that the cost overruns in the disembarkation of containers were due to the problems with the transport routes used by the trucks. "The port cost is similar in all the terminals, but the cost overruns that have to be added from the terminal to the final point of consumption due to poor transport routes is very high," he said.
Another cause of cost overruns would have to do with Customs inspections and security surcharges. "When a container stays several days in the port because of a problem with Customs, it is charged a surcharge. Security must also be more efficient," he added.
According to the Universidad del Pacifico, in the next decade investments of more than US $ 1.5 billion in new port infrastructure and services are required so that Peru can be a hub in the continent.
Source: mundomaritimo.cl