• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
Morten Johansen, Executive Vice President of DP World Americas, explains the strategic importance of Callao in the regional business and warns that the expansion of the South Pier "will not work" without the construction of the foreport.
What is the relevance of the American continent within DP World's global business?
The Americas are probably DP World's second largest [operation] today. It represents just over 10% of the company's total global capacity.
Where do you see the main growth opportunities in the region?
We are seeing many onshoring and nearshoring trends, with manufacturing returning or moving closer to the United States. It is an opportunity for Latin America to play a more important role in global trade.
What position does Peru currently hold within that regional strategy?
We have invested US$1 billion in Peru and we want to invest more. Peru is our largest business in the Americas, both in terms of performance and the volume we move through the port. This year we will exceed 2 million TEUs in Callao, a record for DP World in this region.
How much more could the Peruvian operation grow if the concession is extended?
We have a new [addendum] project that we are working on. We seek to expand and, basically, double the port capacity we currently have. It is a project with an additional investment of more than US$1 billion. But it will not work if the land infrastructure that supports it (the Callao foreport) is not capable of handling that volume.
US$250 million of that investment will be for building the Callao foreport, an infrastructure that APM Terminals also plans to develop. Could you build it together?
Any coordination mechanism between private actors may be evaluated by the competent authority. The relevant point is that this evaluation considers that the proposal presented [by DP World] already incorporates, from its design, a common scope vision, aimed at serving the flows of both operators.
How has Chancay changed Peru's position on the port map of South America?
I think it's positive for Peru. It's another entry point for trade. We always welcome competition. We are not afraid of competition. And I believe that Chancay will play a role in the future, as it is already doing today. But I also firmly believe in Callao's position and its future growth.
DP World seeks to evolve from a port operator to an integrated logistics company.
What percentage of future growth in the region will come from logistics services and end-to-end services?
It's difficult to assign a specific percentage to growth. But I can say that over the last year and a half we have probably opened between 25 and 30 offices focused exclusively on logistics services. We already have a significant presence in the region, with operations in most countries in the Americas. So, obviously, we are building on the presence we already have and analyzing where we can incorporate value-added logistics services going forward.
In Peru, do you see room for new investments or acquisitions outside the South Pier of Callao?
For now, our focus is on the master plan we are working on to double the capacity of DP World Callao, so we will have enough capacity for many years to come. But we will definitely continue to analyze how we can develop our logistics services and value-added services in Lima and Peru.
Are you currently negotiating any new investments or acquisitions for this?
No. At this moment we already have this [addendum] project in hand and first we need to complete it.
