Mexican ports have a great opportunity with the phenomenon of business relocation (nearshoring), although each Administration of the National Port System (Asiponas) must work on a development plan according to what is required.
Antonio Moreno Gómez, president of the Mexican Association of Port, Maritime, and Coastal Infrastructure (AMIP), emphasized that each Asipona must work on a development plan, “well-structured infrastructure, speaking to a real market, with consensus plans.”
He explained that proximity to the United States provides certain advantages for nearshoring, and moreover, roads tend to become congested a
nd riskier, hence there is the possibility of carrying out cargo transport via cabotage, which makes such movement more economical.
“Having plans that can be shared, realistic plans based on ideas with specific markets. There is a need for projects, well-founded plans,” he emphasized.
In an interview with T21, he mentioned that just the port of Veracruz alone can handle a large amount of cargo from the United States, something that would be facilitated through “highways of the sea,” allowing trucks to travel on ships.
“It is about leveraging the existing port infrastructure to facilitate that freight transport and not relying solely on land transportation,” he said.
He recalled that in 1991, the requisition of the Port of Veracruz took place, where there was a shift to private sector participation, leading to an increase in efficiency, logistics, and the economy of such infrastructures. Just this port alone went from handling seven million tons to 34 million tons in 2023.
“It has brought a very significant cargo movement, many companies have been installed, and there has been growth in infrastructure. It is the result of many years and private sector participation,” he said.
Therefore, he stressed the need to give the private sector an opportunity due to the benefits it brings to port infrastructure along with technological innovation.
Although there must be a government policy that allows projects to develop as demanded by the market.
In this regard, he considered that ports represent a great business opportunity, and although there is sufficient capacity for handling cargo, there are also opportunities for improvement.
Therefore, he explained that the government must encourage investment balance and promote it where needed, such as in the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, or Veracruz.
These are the issues that Antonio Moreno addressed in his conference: Evolution and expectations of ports in Mexico, which he delivered at the SEA Library Campus of the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Veracruzana.
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