Withdrawing a 20-foot container from a vessel and taking it to an extra port deposit in Peru costs about $ 1,300 dollars while in other Latin American and European countries it only costs $ 300 dollars, stated the Chamber of Commerce of Lima (CCL).
"This extra cost collides with the competitiveness of companies and, consequently, with the development of foreign trade," said Alberto Ego-Aguirre, president of the Maritime and Customs Affairs Commission of the CCL.
In addition, transferring a truck to the port of Callao, which concentrates 80% of Peruvian foreign trade, takes 9 to 12 hours said Ego-Aguirre, who added that a measure to reverse this situation would be to promote the construction of roads exclusively for trucks transporting export and import products.
The specialist of the CCL also spoke about the need to have a new Cabotage Law that allows foreign ships to make use of their capacity to transport cargo on the Peruvian coasts, a service that currently can only be offered by Peruvian ships.
According to the CCL, the use of railroads in foreign trade logistics is an alternative that could reduce freight costs and help reduce vehicular congestion in the port of Callao. "We also have to consider that the cost of maintaining railways is lower and would help boost the economy," said Ego-Aguirre.
Source: marcotradenews.com