Peru's September Imports: Costlier Fuel, More Trucks, and a Busier Chancay

Bottom line: Peru imported US$6.60 billion of goods in September 2026, up 3.6% from August, and fuel did most of the lifting: refined fuels rose 24.3% to US$1.03 billion as world oil prices climbed again on the Strait of Hormuz conflict. Vehicles and earthmoving machinery also rose, and the new port of Chancay handled its largest month of imports since our series began.

Desk: Claudio, Peru. Dataset: Peru customs (SUNAT) import declarations, CIF values in U.S. dollars, weight in tonnes. Period: September 2026, compared with August 2026 and with April to June 2026. Data as updated 18 October 2026. Imports only. The series starts on 19 January 2026, so January is partial and year-on-year comparisons are not possible until 2027.

Key findings

• Total imports edged up 3.6% to US$6.60 billion in September 2026 from US$6.37 billion in August, while imported tonnage was little changed (4.11 million tonnes, down 0.9%). From July to September, imports reached US$20.0 billion, 9.2% more than from April to June.
• Refined fuel imports (HS 2710) rose for a third straight month, by 24.3% to US$1.03 billion, the highest monthly level since January 2026, when the series begins. They have nearly doubled since June (US$535 million). About half of the September rise was price and half was volume: tonnage rose 11.5% and the value per tonne rose 11.5%.
• Canada accounted for most of the September fuel increase. Refined fuels from Canada rose to US$234 million from US$51 million in August, while those from the United States were little changed at US$701 million (US$710 million in August).
• Trucks and pickups (HS 8704) rose 33.6% to US$334 million and passenger cars (HS 8703) rose 10.8% to US$311 million in September. From July to September, trucks were up 29.8% and cars 22.5% from April to June.
• Chancay port imports rose 38.4% to US$279 million in September from US$201 million in August, its highest month since January 2026 and 4.2% of Peru's imports. Vehicles and earthmoving machinery accounted for most of the increase.

The numbers

Values in U.S. dollars. Same month last year: not available (the series starts in January 2026).

Why did Peru's fuel import bill keep rising in September?

Peru buys much of its diesel, gasoline, and crude from abroad. Refined fuels (HS 2710, mainly diesel and gasoline) are its largest single import, and in September 2026 they were 15.6% of the total, up from 9.0% in June.

September continued a climb that began after June. Refined fuel imports were US$535 million in June, then US$652 million in July, US$829 million in August, and US$1.03 billion in September, a rise of 92.6% over three months. From July to September they totalled US$2.51 billion, 30.4% more than from April to June.

The weight data shows this is both a price and a volume story. Between June and September, the tonnage of refined fuels rose 56.8% (from 446,000 to 700,000 tonnes), while the value per tonne rose 22.8% (from about US$1,199 to US$1,473). So most of the three-month increase was more fuel, not only dearer fuel. In September alone, the split was even: tonnage up 11.5%, value per tonne up 11.5%.

The route changed too. The United States remained the main supplier, with US$701 million, much of it shipped from Houston to Callao, but it was flat against August. The September increase came mainly from Canada, whose refined fuel shipments rose to US$234 million from US$51 million, arriving from Vancouver at Callao, Matarani, and Pisco. Canada's fuel shipments to Peru have been irregular this year (US$83 million in June, almost nothing in July), so a single month says little about a lasting shift.

Crude petroleum (HS 2709) also rose 27.0% to US$395 million, with US$172 million landing at Talara, Petroperú's refinery port, against US$22 million in August.

The price backdrop is well documented. The World Bank's average crude oil price rose from US$84.4 a barrel in August to US$102.3 in September. Brent closed at US$101.21 on 9 September, its highest close since May (CNBC), rose to US$107.82 on 14 September after attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and on a Saudi pipeline (Al Jazeera), and was near US$108 on 28 September after Washington rejected Iran's proposal to reopen the strait. Al Jazeera notes that before the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, about one-fifth of global oil supplies passed through Hormuz.

In Peru the effect was already visible at the pump. In August, Panamericana reported diesel at up to S/27 a gallon in parts of north Lima, with specialists attributing the increase to Peru's dependence on imported crude and derivatives and to the Middle East crisis. The central bank (BCRP) reported that Peru's August imports rose 18.8% year on year to US$6,101 million, mainly because of higher purchases of petroleum and derivatives (El Comercio). That official figure uses different coverage and timing from ours, but it points the same way.

The nuance: rising tonnage at higher prices may reflect restocking ahead of further increases, refinery supply needs at Talara, or simply the timing of cargoes. The data shows the flows, not the motives.

What the data shows: Refined fuel imports nearly doubled between June and September 2026, more from volume than from price, and September's jump came mainly from Canadian cargoes. How much of the volume is restocking will only become clear in the coming months.

Are Peruvians buying more vehicles, and where are they coming from?

Vehicles are Peru's second-largest import chapter after fuels: HS 87 was US$921 million in September, 14.0% of the total, up 18.7% from August.

Trucks and pickups rose 33.6% to US$334 million, and passenger cars rose 10.8% to US$311 million. The quarter shows a run rather than a single month: from July to September, truck imports were US$965 million (up 29.8% from April to June) and car imports US$929 million (up 22.5%). Earthmoving machinery such as bulldozers and graders (HS 8429) also rose 26.5% to US$152 million, its highest month since the series began.

China is the main source. Chinese passenger cars were US$437 million from July to September, up 33.3% from the previous quarter and 47% of all car imports. Trucks come from a wider mix: China (US$296 million in the quarter), Argentina (US$191 million), and the United States (US$183 million, up 66.8% from April to June).

Demand appears to explain much of it. Scotiabank, citing the automotive association, reported that new vehicle sales reached the highest monthly level on record in August, and that heavy vehicle sales totalled 21,572 units through August, up 40% from the same period of 2025. It linked the rise to formal employment, private consumption, cheaper financing, and a sol that had appreciated 5% so far in 2026, which lowers the local price of imported cars.

The nuance: our data measures declared value, not units, and higher-value trucks can lift totals without more vehicles. In September, truck tonnage rose 11.4%, much less than the 33.6% rise in value.

What the data shows: Vehicle imports rose through the third quarter of 2026, led by Chinese cars and a broad rise in trucks, in line with record vehicle sales reported for August. Without unit counts, the data cannot separate more vehicles from more expensive ones.

Is Chancay taking cargo from Callao?

Chancay, the Chinese-operated port north of Lima (customs office 370), opened in late 2024. Callao still dominates: its seaport handled US$4.39 billion of imports in September, 66.4% of the total.

Chancay's imports rose 38.4% to US$279 million in September, the highest monthly value since January 2026 (the previous high was US$256 million in June), and its tonnage also reached a series high of 268,000 tonnes. China supplied US$194 million of it, 69%. Vehicles drove the month: passenger cars through Chancay rose to US$68 million from US$22 million in August, trucks to US$46 million from US$20 million, and earthmoving machinery to US$25 million from US$7 million. Cars and trucks through Chancay were 17.6% of Peru's vehicle imports in September, up from 8.0% in August. Seen from China's side, 11.9% of China's seaborne shipments to Peru by value landed at Chancay, up from 7.5% in August.

The quarter is calmer than the month: Chancay handled US$701 million from July to September, 5.5% more than from April to June. Callao's seaport rose 10.0% over the same comparison, so Chancay is growing alongside Callao, not yet at its expense.

Port statistics show growth in containers. Gestión, citing Universidad del Pacífico data, reported that Chancay handled 246,452 TEU from January to July 2026, 74% more than a year earlier, making it Peru's second container port, with import cargo up 73%.

What the data shows: September was Chancay's largest import month in our data, driven by vehicles from China, but over the quarter its growth was modest and Callao grew faster in dollars. One strong month is not yet a shift in routes.

Trade with the U.S.

Peru's own data: imports from the United States were US$1.51 billion in September 2026, 22.9% of all imports, up 39.7% from US$1.08 billion in June (the series starts in 2026, so there is no year-on-year figure). In August they were US$1.27 billion.

Official U.S. Census data (through August 2026) adds what our Peru export feed cannot show. U.S. imports from Peru were US$1.07 billion in August, up 52.7% from US$698.5 million, led by refined copper (US$135.2 million, from US$14.3 million), fresh fruit (HS 0810, US$127.3 million, from US$63.4 million), molybdenum ores (US$64.3 million, from US$9.2 million), gold (US$72.4 million, from US$24.1 million), and tin (US$58.6 million, from US$26.8 million). U.S. exports to Peru were US$1.42 billion, up 47.6% from US$959.6 million, with refined fuels at US$653.6 million against US$252.0 million: the U.S. side of the fuel story above. For January to August, U.S. imports from Peru rose 11.9% to US$7.26 billion and U.S. exports to Peru 18.8% to US$9.52 billion.

The nuance: Peru recorded US$1.27 billion of imports from the U.S. in August, while the U.S. recorded US$1.42 billion of exports to Peru; the gap reflects shipment timing and valuation. The data does not show why refined copper shipments to the U.S. rose.

What the data shows: Trade with the U.S. rose sharply in both directions in August 2026: U.S. fuel into Peru, and Peruvian copper, fruit, molybdenum, and gold into the U.S.

Verification notes

• Canadian fuel. Canada's refined fuel shipments swing from almost nothing (US$0.1 million in July) to US$234 million (September). These are a small number of tanker cargoes; the September level should not be read as a trend.
• Crude petroleum is carried in very few declarations (26 in September) and swings by cargo: down 17.7% from July to September against April to June, up 27.0% in September alone.
• Wheat (HS 1001) fell 56.8% to US$34.6 million, mainly because fewer cargoes arrived from Canada (US$24.9 million against US$59.0 million in August). Grain arrivals are lumpy month to month.
• Soybean oil (HS 1507) rose 74.9% to US$78.3 million after falling to US$44.8 million in August; it was US$117.5 million in July.
• Nigeria supplied US$113.8 million of crude in June and almost nothing since, which explains its 99% drop in the three-month comparison.
• January 2026 is partial (from 19 January). Every "highest since January 2026" in this report also exceeds each full month from February to August.

What to watch

• October fuel data: whether tonnage keeps rising or the price effect takes over, with Brent above US$100 through late September.
• The BCRP's September trade balance for an official check on the fuel bill.
• Vehicle sales for September and October from the automotive association, against Scotiabank's forecast of about 270,000 units for 2026.
• El Niño: the official ENFEN committee kept its coastal El Niño alert active in September 2026 (Correo); heavy rains could affect roads, ports, and food imports.
• Chancay vs Callao in the fourth quarter, the next test of whether vehicle traffic keeps moving north.

Methodology and data notes

Figures come from CargoFax's processing of SUNAT import declarations (CIF value in U.S. dollars, declared weight in tonnes), as published on the CargoFax Peru imports report and updated 18 October 2026. Monthly totals reconcile between the published monthly files and the line-level dataset. Customs office 370 is reported as Chancay port. Value per tonne is value divided by declared weight for the product and is a rough price proxy, sensitive to product mix. The series begins on 19 January 2026, so there are no year-on-year comparisons; comparisons are month on month and quarter on quarter. Export declarations in the feed cover only a small share of Peru's exports and are not used. Supplier names are withheld by Peruvian law, and no importer names from CargoFax records appear in this report. Official BCRP figures cited for context use different coverage and timing and are not directly comparable.

Sources

Every link on this page passed the verification gate (live article, date in window, quote found, archived). Tier 1: Bloomberg, WSJ, Reuters, FT. Tier 2: other highly relevant sources (trade press, government, company releases, local press).

Tier 1

No Tier 1 source on this page.

Tier 2

• Tier 2 CNBC. Brent crude oil tops $101 to close at highest level since May as fighting escalates in Persian Gulf. 2026-09-09 archive
• Tier 2 Al Jazeera. US says it’s clearing Hormuz traffic: Why are oil futures beyond $100?. 2026-09-14 archive
• Tier 2 Al Jazeera. Oil prices surge after Trump rejects Iran’s plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz. 2026-09-28 archive
• Tier 2 Panamericana Televisión. ¡Golpe al bolsillo! precio del diésel llega a los S/27 en agunos grifos de Lima Norte. 2026-08-13 archive
• Tier 2 El Comercio Perú. Superávit comercial del Perú superó los US$30.000 millones entre enero y agosto, según BCR. 2026-10-18 archive
• Tier 2 Scotiabank Economics. Latam Daily: Highest Ever Peruvian Auto Sales. 2026-09-18 archive
• Tier 2 Gestión. Puerto de Chancay: atención a carga en contenedores se dispara, ¿se acerca a su meta?. 2026-09-27 archive
• Tier 2 Correo. ¿Te llegó una alerta climática? Cinco claves para entenderla ante el Fenómeno El Niño. 2026-09-21 archive

Data sources

• World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet), monthly averages, retrieved 19 October 2026.
• U.S. Census Bureau, international trade data, August 2026 (CargoFax Census pipeline).