Worker dies in accident at Chancay megaport in Peru

Hong Kong-based Cosco Shipping Ports said Saturday that a worker died in an early morning accident at a megaport the company is building on Peru’s Pacific coast.

The worker was carrying out sanding and painting work at the Chancay deep-water port terminal when the accident occurred, the company said in a statement.

The company said it was investigating the circumstances of the incident and coordinating with authorities.

Cosco, which began developing the port of Chancay as a hub in the South American Pacific in 2019, is at the center of a dispute over the terms of its operation.

In 2021, Peru’s National Port Authority (APN) granted Cosco the exclusive right to operate Chancay, but said in March that it never had the legal authority to grant it. It blamed an “administrative error” and asked a judge to strike down the conditions.

The company said it expects the port to begin operations in November in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Leaders’ Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.

(Reuters – Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Brendan O’Boyle, Editing by Franklin Paul)