Twenty-three years after beginning operations at the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Hutchison Ports’ terminal seeks to consolidate itself as one of the main logistics platforms on the Mexican Pacific coast, supported by a strategy of expansion, automation and operational efficiency that aims to respond to the growth of global supply chains and the pressure faced by the national port system.
For Manuel García Gordillo, general manager of Hutchison Ports LCT , the growth of the terminal has been closely linked to the need to offer an alternative to the recurring congestion of the port of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas’ main competitor in handling containers on the Mexican Pacific coast.
“Lázaro Cárdenas became an alternative to the congestion problems of the port of Manzanillo,” the executive stated in an interview with T21, recalling that the terminal began operations with virtually no container traffic and today handles over 1.5 million TEUs (20-foot containers) annually.
The growth in vessel size and the demands of shipping lines have forced an acceleration in the development of specialized infrastructure. Following this logic, Hutchison Ports LCT is currently developing the third phase of its terminal expansion , which will increase its operational capacity through new yard areas, a larger dock, and automated equipment.
Currently the terminal has 76 hectares developed and projects to exceed 100 hectares with this growth stage, in addition to reaching almost 1,500 meters of dock and adding new autonomous RTG cranes and state-of-the-art dock cranes.
“This project is truly important because it has been driven by a combination of factors. On the one hand, there’s the pressure of needing more space to increase our service capacity . But on the other hand, it’s also about preparing ourselves so that our clients can be certain their shipments won’t get stuck here,” Gordillo explains.
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