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ICTSI’s Ecuador port terminal enters Latin America-Asia trade loop

ICTSI’s Ecuador port terminal enters Latin America-Asia trade loop

Provided by Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Photo of officials at a port call at the Port of Guayaquil in Ecuador
TRADE MILESTONE From left: Anders Kjeldsen, ICTSI regional head – Latin America; Wang Kunhui, COSCO Shipping South America chair; and Javier Lancha, Contecon Guayaquil chief executive officer, during the inaugural call of the WSA5 service on Feb. 21 - ICTSI photo



MANILA, Philippines — Tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.- led International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is positioning the Port of Guayaquil as Ecuador’s gateway to the world as its port terminal takes part in the opening of the Latin American country's first direct shipping connection to Asia.

ICTSI announced on Wednesday that Contecon Guayaquil S.A., its unit operating at Port of Guayaquil, had received the inaugural call of COSCO Shipping’s Asia-Central and South America 5 (WSA5) service on Feb. 21.

This was described as a “high point” in the country’s foreign trade, noting that WSA5 service was the first direct shipping connection between Ecuador and Asia via the Port of Chancay in Peru.

27-day shipping


WSA5 service offers a "streamlined" route that enables cargo from Ecuador to reach Shanghai in just 27 days—an improvement from existing routes with longer transit times, the company said in a press statement.

With a stop in Chancay, the service is seen to provide “faster, more cost-effective and more reliable” option for Ecuadorian exports, including bananas and shrimp, to reach Asia.

READ: Razon-led ICTSI builds cold storage hub in Ecuador.

“This service brings together millions of people, businesses and projects in a record time of just 27 days and 27 minutes,” said Javier Lancha, chief executive officer of Contecon Guayaquil. ”The 27 minutes correspond to the average time it takes for transport vehicles to complete their transactions at the terminal.

“We thank COSCO for trusting us as a strategic partner and for its bold move in connecting the west coast of South America with Asia,” he added.

COSCO’s decision to add Contecon Guayaquil to the WSA5 service rotation highlights the terminal’s role in global trade, ICTSI said.

READ: Razon expands budget for Ecuador port.

New route


The WSA5 service includes calls at key ports such as Dalian, Ningbo, Shanghai and Qingdao in China, as well as Ensenada, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico, before calling at Buenaventura, Colombia; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Chancay, Peru. From there, the service makes its way back to Shanghai and Dalian, completing what is pitched to be a “seamless” trade loop between Latin America and Asia.

The service is also seen to support Ecuador’s broader trade goals, leveraging the country’s Free Trade Agreement with China to boost exports.

ICTSI, a Philippine-based multinational corporation, has been operating the Container and Multipurpose Terminals in Guayaquil, Ecuador since 2007.

—DORIS DUMLAO-ABADILLA

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