The Peruvian port system has more than 100 port facilities. These are classified as river, sea and lake ports. Among the major coastal ports, Callao is the most important port for cargo transportation. This is because 70% of cargo handling in Peru takes place at this port.
91% of total exports and 65% of export FOB value are handled by Peruvian ports. Peru borders the Pacific Ocean and has a long west coast. It is not surprising that Peru has numerous ports, as 90% of Peru's exports are shipped by sea.
What are the main ports in Peru?
1. Port of Callao
The Port of Callao is the main port in terms of traffic and storage capacity. Located in Lima, the capital of the central coast, it is 16 meters deep and can carry heavy cargo.
This particular terminal is connected to the industrial area of Lima as well as to the rest of the country. The connection also extends to Jorge Chavez International Airport across the Andes. It is reported that in 2017, container ships berthed at the South Wharf for about 19 hours on average, and at the North Wharf for nearly 23 hours.
2. Shirt port
The port of Paita is the second largest national port in Peru in terms of container traffic, after Callao. Paita, located in Piura in the north of the country, ranks third in terms of total cargo traffic.
Since October 2009, the port has been operated by a Peruvian-Portuguese consortium called Terminales Portuarios Euroandinos SA or TPE. According to reports, by the end of 2016, the operating volume in the port had exceeded 215,000 TEUs.
OSITRAN, Peru's regulator related to investments in public transport infrastructure, said Peru's business was mainly export-oriented. In 2016, nearly 95% of exports were shipped in containers. Among the many export products, there are mainly aquatic biological products such as fish, fish oil and squid, and agricultural and industrial products such as grapes, mangoes, coffee, and bananas.
3. Port of Matalani
The Port of Matarani is located approximately 452 miles south of Callao and serves the southern region of Peru as well as several major cities in Bolivia, namely Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Oruro.
Back in 1999, the port was awarded to Romero's group company Terminal Internacional del Sur SA (TISUR) for a period of 3 years. This is what has led to the multiplication of cargo to and from Bolivia, as well as increased investment in port infrastructure.
4. Port Talara
The Port of Talara is not only state-owned, it is also operated by the national oil company Petróleos del Perú SA (PETROPERU). Refineries process different products such as motor gasoline, solvents, A-1 turbo, diesel 2, LPG, industrial oils and bitumen.
The Port of Talara serves the oil industry in the Piura and Tumbes regions. Most of the rest of the country sells to them. Shipping takes place through their own loading dock. The tankers were shipped to tankers at Chimbote, Supe, Callao, Eten, Salaverry, Pisco, Mollendo and Ilo terminals.
The Port of Talara entrance channel is in the SE-NW direction with a minimum width of 180 m and a water depth of 10 ⁄ 11 m. It can accommodate tankers up to 210 m long with a maximum draft of 10.36 m and a maximum draft of 10.70 m at the buoy.
The port contains a subsea pipeline for loading and unloading crude oil. There are six supporting mooring buoys as the boats always move towards the southern area.
5. Port of Salaverry
The port of Salaverry is actually an artificial port. It's basically a dock that's constantly exposed to surges and swells. The port contains a 700-meter long breakwater and extension. Although this has decreased, small surges and swells within the port operations area and terminals remain to be resolved.
The port serves Truillo and the neighboring states of Ancash, Lambayeque and Cajamarca. It is managed by Empresa Nacional de Puertos SA (ENAPU). The port contains two sturdy quays for handling general cargo and bulk cargo. This also includes the use of mobile shore loaders for copper concentrates.
