Global port operator DP World said it has opened South America’s largest and the most modern container terminal, DP World Callao, in Peru a year ahead of schedule.

Peru's newest marine terminal, situated close to capital city, Lima, was completed after 27 months of construction following the granting of the concession in July 2006, the compaany said in a statement.

Peruvian President Alan García Perez and DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem inaugurated the container terminal in the presence of UAE Minister of State Reem Al Hashimy, DP World CEO Mohammed Sharaf and other top executives.

DP World Callao has an operating annual capacity of around 850,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent container units) and is located in the south zone of the port of Callao, covering an area of 225,000 sq m, the statement said.

Its two berths, each 350 metres with a 16 metre draft, are capable of handling two post-Panamax vessels of around 8,000 TEU at the same time, it stated.

The terminal has six Super Post Panamax giant gantry cranes, 18 rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) and state-of-the-art information technology. Its construction represents the most important investment in the history of the Peruvian port industry, with hundreds of million dollars invested, it added.

On the launch, Bin Sulayem said: 'We are pleased and proud that DP World Callao has joined DP World’s global network and look forward to its bright future.'

'We believe Peru to be exemplary in economic and political stability in South America. It is also the ideal entry point for the west coast of South America, which is a dynamic economy with a large cargo market and strong trade growth,' he remarked.

Sharaf pointed out that DP World helped create opportunities for the communities and economies in the countries of operation.

'DP World searches for, trains and employs local talent, and through its work brings in not only containers but more trade, more jobs and more income for the entire economy.'

'This in turn is translated into more income for the government and better services for the people, which means more children going to school and more people accessing vital health care,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service