Port project built by China contributes to Peru's economic, social development

About 80 kilometers north of Lima, capital of Peru, the Chancay Port jointly undertaken by China Harbour Engineering Company and the Fourth Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. under China Communications Construction Company is currently under construction.

The port project has taken shape after three years of construction and will become a new model of China-Peru practical cooperation upon its completion.

Photo shows the seawall of the Chancay Port. [Photo/Qiu Yan]

The Chancay Port is one of the signature projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Latin America, which includes a multi-purpose terminal, container terminals and relevant infrastructure.

In 2021, the first phase of the project started construction. With four berths planned, it has a designed annual handling capacity of 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and is expected to become an important transport hub and logistics center along the south Pacific coast of Latin America, which will significantly facilitate regional foreign trade.

Ambassador of Peru to China Marco Balarezo said the Chancay Port will lead to a surge in logistics activities and influx of personnel, thus driving employment. He believes the project will significantly promote the economic and social development of Peru.

"Here, we are building a container yard, while over there is the bulk cargo yard. Modern operational and office buildings are also under construction. Once the entire port is operational, it will be controlled remotely, and most of the equipment will be unmanned," said Jiang Wei, project manager of the Chancay Port. The port is expected to be completed within this year, according to him.

Diego Leandro Andre Valenzuela Cardenas, a Peruvian engineer, said that there were thousands of Peruvian workers involved in the project during the peak period of construction, and the Chinese side provided all necessary training to help them improve their work skills.

Diego Leandro joined the project after graduating from university. He has grown from a green hand into an outstanding engineer that leads a team of over 100 people.

Peng Zhisheng, head of the first engineering division of the project, told People's Daily that the project established a mentoring program to help Peruvian employees master construction skills as soon as possible. The program has trained a group of highly skilled local personnel in port construction, Peng added.

Recently, the Chancay Port project held a networking event with a nearby kindergarten. The kindergarten covers an area of 2,700 square meters and is equipped with various facilities including classrooms, playgrounds, recreational areas and gardens. It is the only kindergarten in the community.

According to Mauricio Perauna Mego, head of the community, the kindergarten was once run-down and faced a significant loss of students. It was the Chancay Port project that renovated the kindergarten and established a reading room to create a sound environment for local children.

Rosario, the kindergarten principal, told People's Daily that Chinese companies helped the kindergarten with classroom repairs and reinforcement, site leveling, and floor hardening. Now, children can play in a safer and more comfortable environment.

Chinese and Peruvian employees perform equipment maintenance at the construction site of the Chancay Port. [Photo/Qiu Yan]

Liu Zhe, community-relation manager of the Chancay Port project, said that the project has set up a professional community team to implement public welfare projects such as community wall construction, dilapidated house repairs, and public road maintenance. The team also visits elderly people living alone, provides medical services, and offers psychological counseling. These efforts have received support and recognition from the local residents.

"Chinese companies have changed the image of the community," said Mauricio Perauna Mego. "We are all expecting an early completion of the Chancay Port, as it will play a significant role in promoting regional economic development."

The Chancay Port project is located in an important wildlife habitat of Peru, which raises high requirements for it on environmental protection. In order to properly protect the biodiversity of the area, the project team has adopted multiple measures to achieve the goal of green construction.

Technical experts of the project team developed large specialized equipment, such as an intelligent self-propelled pile-driving platform, which not only helped achieve the construction goals but also protected the water quality and marine life in the construction area. It enabled pile-driving operations to be carried out throughout the year and at all times, greatly improving construction efficiency.

The project has established a professional environmental protection team and set up an animal rescue office staffed with multiple environmental protection personnel. It has also participated in public environmental protection activities organized by the local maritime authority.

In early 2022, after an oil spill occurred in a refinery in Peru following a tsunami led by a volcanic eruption in Tonga, the project team actively helped clean the oil pollution on the sea and worked to rescue affected animals. It assisted local authorities in rescue operations and cleaned the beach to help penguins, seals, and other animals in distress.

"We highly appreciate and commend the relentless efforts of Chinese companies in areas such as marine environmental protection, marine biodiversity conservation, and water pollution prevention," said the local maritime authority in a thank-you letter to the Chancay Port project.

A few hundred meters away from the construction site of the Chancay Port, flocks of birds can always be seen flying and foraging on wetlands.

Juan Alberto Alvarez Andrade, mayor of Chancay said the Chancay Port project has carried out multiple rescue missions for penguins, seals, and birds, effectively improving environmental conditions of wetlands, beaches, and habitats, and making remarkable contributions to local environmental protection.

He hailed the project as one that's both "golden" and "green" as it takes into account both economic and environmental benefits.