Mexico’s ports started 2026 on the “right foot”, moving 797,906 twenty-foot containers (TEUs) , which meant an 8.8% increase compared to January 2025, according to figures from the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) .
An analysis by T21 Business Intelligence showed that Lázaro Cárdenas, in Michoacán, handled 235,103 TEUs during the first month of this year, 21.8% more than in January 2026, while the port of Veracruz moved 93,032 TEUs , representing an increase of 13.8% in the period.
Manzanillo, in Colima , was the port that registered the most container movement at the beginning of 2026, with a total of 354,534 TEUs, an increase of 7.8% compared to the same cycle of 2025.
In contrast, Altamira, in Tamaulipas, continued its downward trend . In January 2026, it handled 63,374 TEUs, representing a 9.3% drop compared to January 2025, marking two consecutive months of decline.
Smaller ports also saw significant variations in January 2026 compared to the same month in 2025. Guaymas, in Sonora, reported a 95.3% increase with 1,586 TEUs handled during the period. Mazatlán, in Sinaloa, experienced a 35.1% decrease with 2,284 TEUs handled.
Regarding participation in the first month of 2026, Manzanillo accounted for 44.43% of the total movement of 20-foot containers ; Lázaro Cárdenas had 29.46%, Veracruz 11.66%, and Altamira 7.94 percent.
Faced with less than encouraging growth forecasts, Mexico’s main ports are emerging as key points to sustain the country’s competitiveness.
In that context, 2026 presents a mixed economic outlook for Mexico: while the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) projected a growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of between 1.8% and 2.8%, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) forecasts an expansion of 1.4% for the Mexican economy.
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