TRANSFORMING TRADE: GROWING WITH PERÚ

Alfredo Zegarra Ochoa has seen the docks at Callao, Lima change dramatically since he was a child when he accompanied his father, a lorry driver, to pick up goods from the port.

He says the difference between then and now is “like night and day.”

Today, “Safety is paramount,” he says.

“Before, everything was chaos, there was disorder. There was always someone who had been in an accident with the immense machinery – the cranes,” he says. “There were many people around – on the ships, on the dock – and loads were being passed above them, containers passing overhead, moving machinery.”

As Operations Supervisor at DP World Callao Zegarra has been key in making that change. Zegarra started work with us 17 years ago and since then has seen changes in the technology introduced, the maritime sector and the community itself.

The transformation Alfredo has witnessed is not just about infrastructure and technology, but also about people, culture, skills and safety. He has contributed to that by embedding values that put staff safety at the core of operations. 

“I supervise container loading and unloading operations,” he says. “My responsibility has always been to ensure that people take good care of themselves. We are in an area where a lot of cargo is moved and we take pride in doing our work in the safest way possible,”

“Our task must be done with great care and with a clear head,” he says. “I tell my colleagues to get enough rest so they can do a good job and avoid any accidents.”

Zegarra believes there has been a shift in health and safety culture thanks to the training we provide and the introduction of international health and safety standards.

“You need to change ‘people's minds’ about how important safety is, he says. “We keep safety first, because good productivity goes hand in hand with good safety management.”

Fisher Tomás Chipa has lived in Callao, Lima since he was 12 years old. He has spent a lifetime fishing in the bay. For 35 years he has got up at 3 am and headed to the beach to take out a small fishing boat. He is already working in the water by 4 am, casting his net.

Despite having worked as a fisher so long, Chipa didn’t have a licence to fish around Callao Bay. So, he and other fishers set up an association to formalise their paperwork. With the help of DP World and its Pescadores Mar de Opportunidades (Fishers Sea of Opportunities) programme, he became one of 90 local fishers who were able to assemble the relevant documentation required for a licence.

“We are grateful for that because now our documentation is in order,” says Chipa.

The programme also provides advice on keeping fish fresh, and sends gifts like trousers, boots and waterproof jackets.

“We’re getting along well with their help,” says Chipa. “This is about respect, this is about support.”

Support for artisanal fishing is important given the country’s artisanal fleet contributes 45% of the world’s catch of jumbo flying squid and 50% of the world's catch of dolphinfish. It is also important for sustainability by ensuring fish stocks are preserved and with the livelihoods of future fishers.

“We don't catch small fish, so they grow and continue reproducing and artisanal fishing continues so that the fish don’t disappear and that helps us and the future of Perú,” says Chipa.