The drop in imported steel and trade uncertainty have not stopped Hazesa ‘s commitment to Manzanillo: the company is preparing a third berth with an investment of 500 million pesos (mdp) to expand its capacity and handle new flows of goods in the port of Colima. 

The project includes a 290-meter-long pier that could add at least one million tons to the terminal’s annual capacity, an increase of approximately 38%, explains Raúl Sandoval, CEO of Grupo Hazesa, in an interview with T21. Completion is scheduled for December 2027. 

The third berth originated from a 100-meter space that became available after the expansion of the second berth. Subsequently, the company was allocated an adjacent area by the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo to develop the project. 

The 500 million pesos will be primarily allocated to piling, sheet piling, and dredging . Sandoval explains that the containment structure will be installed first to protect the land area, and then the dock face, where there is currently a draft of about 6 meters, will be deepened. 

The intention is to reach a depth of 16 meters and have an official draft of 15 meters, with a safety margin of one meter. This position will allow for servicing larger vessels, including Capesize bulk carriers, although its use will depend on cargo volume and customer demand. 

“The value of terminals lies in their ability to create this interface between the ship and land transport,” Sandoval points out. 

The executive maintained that an additional berth could also alleviate waiting times during peak seasons, such as the fertilizer season. During this period, arrivals are concentrated in just a few weeks, and rain disrupts operations, leading to queues of ships and costs that are ultimately passed on to the recipients of the goods.

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El cargo Hazesa sets its sights on the future of Manzanillo apareció primero en T21.

Hutchison Ports Mexico invested 20 million pesos (MXN) in the acquisition of five port operations simulators , with the goal of strengthening the technical training of its employees through digital tools that allow them to practice maneuvers in controlled environments, without using real machinery during the initial stages of training. These devices will enable them to develop skills in operating various types of equipment.

Centralized training and local coaching

As part of the project, the central training system will be located at Hutchison Ports TILH in Hidalgo , where a space has been set up to accommodate employees from different business units, with facilities for lodging and supplementary training. The remaining four simulators will be used for local training at other company facilities.

Simulations have already been conducted. The first test took place from October 12th to 16th. Twenty-two employees participated in this training, which was led by an instructor specializing in these technologies. Participants included training specialists, IT staff, and lead operators.

Jorge Magno Lecona Ruiz , executive director of Hutchison Ports Latin America and Caribbean Division, noted that the investment seeks to strengthen the job skills of the operators and contribute to their certification processes.

“Our goal is to promote their professionalization and the development of job skills that contribute to their certification processes, while moving towards safer and more efficient operations,” he stressed.

Standardization of operational processes

According to the company, the simulators will allow users to recreate situations that require precision and coordination , as well as practice procedures before executing them with real equipment, with the purpose of reinforcing technical skills and familiarity with safety protocols.

The project aims to establish common training and evaluation criteria among the various business units of Hutchison Ports Mexico , in order to maintain consistent safety and performance standards in its operations.

Hutchison Ports handled 87.5 million TEUs (20-foot containers) in 2024, and in Mexico it offers services from Veracruz, Manzanillo, Ensenada, Lázaro Cárdenas and Tula.

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El cargo Hutchison Ports Mexico incorporates simulators to strengthen port operator training apareció primero en T21.

The supply of raw materials requires connecting the dock with the production processes of each industry. Following this logic, LOGRA has expanded its logistics integration and diversified its operations with two projects in Veracruz: Navilogra , its trucking company, and Autoport , a specialized vehicle terminal currently under construction. 

Navilogra began operations in late 2025 to strengthen control over the land transport of goods. With this unit, cargo received by sea can continue to the customer’s plant under a single operation, with greater traceability and coordination between port services and transportation . The challenge is coordinating these flows with the supply and receiving needs of its customers’ plants. 

The strategy is based on specialization in raw materials: grains for the agricultural and livestock industries, scrap metal for the steel industry, construction materials, and fertilizers. Managing these materials allows for economies of scale in supply chains whose performance impacts the production of food, steel, and cement. 

This commitment dates back to 1995, when the group began in Progreso with Multisur. Its network expanded to Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos, Salina Cruz, Guaymas, Dos Bocas, and Puerto Cortés in Honduras. In addition to port operations, it offers warehousing, marine chartering, land transportation, and logistics management .  

Based on this, Autoport represents a foray into automotive logistics. LOGRA was awarded the contract for the new terminal specializing in the import and export of vehicles in the southern bay of the port of Veracruz, a project that expands its portfolio beyond bulk cargo. 

“We are committed to boosting the national automotive industry, seeking to be strategic allies of our clients and the country,” says Antonio Moreno, CEO of LOGRA, in an interview with T21. 

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El cargo LOGRA grows beyond the dock apareció primero en T21.

Maersk recorded a year-on-year growth of 27% in its revenue during the third quarter of 2026 (3Q26) , reaching $18.1 billion , driven by the performance of its three business areas, in a context of higher shipping rates and port congestion.

According to the company, its operating profit (EBIT) increased from $1.3 billion to $3.3 billion, while EBITDA rose from $2.7 billion to $4.7 billion, compared to the same period of the previous year .

“We had a solid quarter across all our business areas. Despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and disruptions, global trade has remained remarkably resilient. Demand is being driven not only by consumption, but increasingly by significant investments in electrification, energy, and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure,” said Vincent Clerc, CEO of Maersk.

Congestion and maritime tariffs

During the quarter under review, global container demand grew between 2% and 4% year-on-year. However, an intense typhoon season in Asia caused port congestion that absorbed some vessel capacity, pushing the global average waiting time in ports to a peak of 16.6 hours, the highest level since January 2023 .

Given the above conditions, average spot rates , as measured by the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) , increased 46% compared to the second quarter . Meanwhile, Maersk’s Ocean Freight division raised its EBIT from $567 million to $2.6 billion, with a vessel utilization rate of 96%.

The shipping company noted that the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the congestion of its network increased fuel, operating and container handling costs, as well as affecting the reliability of schedules.

Logistics and terminals maintain growth

In Logistics and Services , revenue increased 13% during the period, supported by ground transportation, growth in air freight volumes, and project logistics. Its EBIT margin rose from 5.5% to 5.8%.

In the case of Terminals , record revenues were achieved and a growth of 2.6% in the volumes moved, with increases of 14% in Africa and 6.7% in Europe.

Improved outlook for year-end

Thanks to these results, Maersk raised its underlying EBITDA forecast for 2026 to a range of US$14 billion to US$14.5 billion, up from its previous estimate of US$10.5 billion to US$12.5 billion. Similarly, it adjusted its underlying EBIT forecast to a range of US$8 billion to US$8.5 billion, based on an approximate 4% growth in the global container market volume during 2026.

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El cargo Maersk raises its forecasts after revenue growth in Q3 2026 apareció primero en T21.

CANCÚN, Q. ROO – The continued existence of shipping agents in the logistics chain will depend on their ability to solve problems that shipping lines cannot or will not handle on their own. Pressure to reduce costs and control operations is forcing agencies to demonstrate their value, while digitalization and a talent shortage are raising the bar for competition. 

This challenge was addressed in the panel “The Shipping Agent and its Evolution,” held at the 30th National Congress of Shipping Agents , organized by the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents (Amanac) . The discussion revealed a profession that has expanded its responsibilities, but whose position as an intermediary faces questions from its own clients. 

Roberto Meillón, president of Amanac, warned that shipping lines with frequent stops are seeking efficiencies that could lead them to take over functions currently performed by travel agencies. To maintain their position, these agencies will need to offer additional solutions and build teams capable of responding to the needs of the vessels. “The lines are looking for ways to become more autonomous and less dependent on us,” he stated. 

This transformation has a history. Andrés Echeverría Bennett, general manager of Representaciones Transpacíficas (Transpac) , explained that the establishment of container shipping companies’ own operations in Mexico prompted his company to diversify into logistics, customs brokerage, and external storage yards . This pursuit also included ventures in transportation, which, he acknowledged, did not yield the expected results. 

According to the executive, incorporating technology requires investing in training without losing the ability to handle emergencies at any time. Receiving ships in the early morning hours and dealing with problems that arise on weekends underscore the need for personnel with operational expertise. “The future will be human, with the help of technology,” he stated .

The expansion of the profession also changed its relationship with cargo. Miguel Ángel Andrade Gómez, general director of Amanac and moderator of the panel, described the transition from attending to the ship and exchanging information via telex to a more extensive intervention: “This same evolution has transformed them into coordinators or logistical architects of the cargo that comes on board.”

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El cargo From ship to cargo: the new shipping agent apareció primero en T21.

Hutchison Ports is advancing its talent development strategy in Mexico through its Hutchison Ports Institute , a digital training platform designed to update the skills of its employees and facilitate knowledge transfer among its business units. As part of this initiative, nearly 1,500 employees have completed the modules for the first phase.

On October 28, the company held its first certificate award ceremony at Hutchison Ports ICAVE in Veracruz , recognizing participants in three categories: Completion of the Common Core, Academic Excellence, and Content Experts.

The certification process will continue in the coming weeks in other business units, including Hutchison Ports LCT , LCMT , TIMSA , EIT , and TILH . This initiative is part of a professional development strategy aimed at the company’s approximately six thousand employees in the country.

Training for port operations

The Hutchison Ports Institute comprises 15 modules distributed across six disciplines: Organizational Culture, Operations, Management, Sales, Technology, and Health and Wellbeing . Its structure includes learning pathways for operational staff and various leadership levels, utilizing technical content, digital tools, and training experiences developed by internal specialists.

In its first stage, the program focused on a common core called “Fundamentals of Organizational Culture” , which addresses topics such as sustainability, port operations, labor relations, safety, cybersecurity and workplace well-being, with the purpose of establishing a shared knowledge base among workers.

“The training of our employees is a fundamental investment for the development of Hutchison Ports. With this Institute, we aim to make the knowledge and experience of our organization available to all our teams, through tools that strengthen their capabilities and allow them to respond to the challenges of a constantly evolving port industry,” said Jorge Magno Lecona Ruiz, CEO of Hutchison Ports Latin America and Caribbean Division.

Knowledge exchange between terminals

As a complement to the platform, the company plans to develop the Hutchison Ports Open Air Institute , a space for exchanging experiences and knowledge with industry specialists, where topics related to port operations, innovation, technology, safety, sustainability and leadership will be addressed.

Hutchison Ports seeks to expand access to training and leverage the expertise of its internal specialists to strengthen the preparedness of its teams across the various business units it operates in Mexico.

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Maersk will place its operations in Mexico under the direction of Jorge Monzalvo starting January 1, 2027 , in a transition that coincides with the expansion of its logistics infrastructure and the integration of its maritime transport, storage and land distribution services in the country.

The appointment was announced by AP Moller-Maersk as part of the transition from Patricia Pérez, the current general manager in Mexico, who will assume a new position in the United States. Monzalvo will take over after leading the company’s land logistics products in the Mexican market since January 2026.

This responsibility has placed him at the forefront of a key component for connecting ports, industrial centers, and the US border . His promotion is part of the company’s strategy to integrate the various links in its clients’ supply chains.

“Mexico is a strategic market for Maersk and an increasingly important piece in the supply chains of North America and the world. Jorge has in-depth knowledge of our customers, the operations, and the needs of the Mexican market, and he has the experience to continue strengthening our integrated logistics offering, from the port to the customer’s door. We are convinced that he will be a key leader for the next stage of growth in the country,” said Ditlev Blicher, Maersk’s Regional President for North America.

With more than 20 years of experience in the organization, Monzalvo has worked in Mexico, Panama and China , and held positions in the areas of sales, operations, finance, product and customer experience.

His previous responsibilities included the launch in Mexico of Sealand , Maersk’s brand for trade within the Americas. He later served as Director of Customer Experience , where he spearheaded initiatives to strengthen customer service and coordination between commercial and operational areas.

“I accept this challenge with great pride and a clear commitment: to support our customers in their growth and help them make their supply chains more efficient and resilient. Mexico has a tremendous opportunity in global trade, and Maersk wants to be a long-term partner to capitalize on it,” the executive stated.

Monzalvo’s appointment as CEO comes as the company expands its logistics network in Mexico. According to the press release, this infrastructure comprises over 59,000 square meters of warehouse space in Mexico City and Tijuana , as well as 250,000 square meters of capacity in depots and air cargo centers in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.

This network was further expanded with the opening of a new storage facility in Manzanillo , representing an investment of over $15 million. The company also plans to expand its capacity in Guadalajara and Monterrey, although the announcement did not specify amounts or timelines for these projects.

The transition will ensure continuity in the work of Patricia Pérez, who, according to the company, spearheaded the business’s evolution during a period crucial to Mexico’s positioning within North American supply chains. With nearly two decades at Maersk, she will continue her career within the group in her new role in the United States, although the statement did not specify what that role will be.

The change in leadership places Monzalvo at the helm of an operation whose expansion aims to support the country’s manufacturing and export activity. The connection between port infrastructure, warehouses, and land-based services will be a key element of this next phase.

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El cargo Jorge Monzalvo will assume the general management of Maersk Mexico in 2027 apareció primero en T21.

Competition to attract cargo is raising the bar for Latin American ports. Terminal productivity is now complemented by service reliability, operational safety, and the capacity to incorporate technology and advance decarbonization , in a context marked by the reorganization of supply chains and shipping line decisions.

These challenges will shape the agenda of AAPA LATAM 2026 , which will be held from December 1-4 in Guatemala City. The event is expected to bring together more than 700 representatives from the maritime, port, and logistics sectors , including government officials, terminal executives, shipping companies, technology providers, investors, and international organizations.

The selection of the host country coincides with a transformation of its institutional framework. According to information from the meeting, the General Law of the National Port System , Decree 20-2026, published in September and in effect since October 2, creates the National Port Authority and establishes a framework to strengthen planning, security, competitiveness, and conditions for public and private investment.

With access to both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans through Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomás de Castilla, and Puerto Barrios , Guatemala faces the challenge of transforming its geographic location into logistical capacity. The panel “Two Oceans, One Strategy: Guatemala’s Port Vision” will address the needs and prospects of its port system, linking this modernization process to the challenges facing the rest of Latin America.

The discussion will begin with the environment that is altering the flow of goods. The opening conference, “The New Map of World Trade: Winners, Risks, and Opportunities for Latin America ,” will analyze geopolitical tensions, new trade alliances, and changes in supply chains. Building on this overview, “The New Port Landscape of the Americas” will examine logistics corridors, infrastructure projects, and the competition to attract cargo.

In this dispute, the shipping companies’ strategies will be crucial. With the expected participation of representatives from Maersk and MSC , the program will address the conditions that terminals must offer to meet the needs of shipping lines.

Carlos Urriola, partner at Urriola & Sanchez and moderator of the panel, raises the scope of that requirement: “What do port terminals need to have and do to enter the circle of winners? It is not enough to be first in productivity; you have to be first and consistent in all the services you provide.”

The consistency of service is linked, in turn, to the ports’ ability to incorporate tools that improve management. From this perspective, the Innovation Challenge will give companies 10 minutes to present concrete examples of applications of artificial intelligence, automation, digital twins, and collaborative platforms.

Miguel Garín, Director of International Development at the Valenciaport Foundation and moderator of the session, summarizes the change: “The port of the future is no longer built solely with more concrete, but also with better algorithms.”

The format will seek to identify which solutions are already working, what problems they solve, and what conditions are required for their implementation. This discussion will be complemented by a panel on cybersecurity , a component of business continuity and supply chain resilience.

Along with digitalization, the energy transition raises decisions about infrastructure, equipment, and financing. The panel “The Countdown to Net Zero” will bring together experiences on decarbonization, electrification, new technologies, and investments to reduce emissions in the sector.

“Latin America faces difficult challenges, but also important opportunities, to move towards the decarbonization of the maritime sector,” says Jorge Durán, executive secretary of the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of American States (CIP/OAS) and moderator of the panel.

Durán points out that various ports in the region are already developing pilot programs with alternative fuels , electrified equipment, and renewable electricity sources. This exchange will allow for a review of their results, the lessons learned, and the possibilities of adapting these solutions to other terminals.

However, modernization also depends on the conditions for committing long-term capital. Therefore, the agenda will include an analysis of legal certainty and port concessions , with an emphasis on the elements necessary to develop and sustain investments.

This dimension will be complemented by the protection of operations. The panel “Ports Under Threat: Organized Crime, Security, and Logistical Integrity” will address security challenges and the coordination between public and private actors in an activity whose reliability involves the entire logistics chain.

The program will broaden the discussion to include strategic bulk cargo and the relationship between cruise ships, sustainability, and port cities. In doing so, the meeting will incorporate markets and development models with distinct infrastructure, operational, and environmental needs.

Towards the end, “The CEOs’ Vision” will focus its analysis on the investments, technologies and business models that will define the next decade of container ports in Latin America, revisiting the commercial, operational and regulatory factors discussed during the congress.

The trade show and business networking spaces will complement the sessions to facilitate contact between policymakers, investment decision-makers, terminal operators, and solution developers. These exchanges aim to open up opportunities for cooperation, projects, and business relationships.

The meeting also includes the presentation of the AAPA LATAM–CIP/OEA Awards and the AAPA LATAM Legacy Awards , as well as the presentation of Curaçao as the host of the 2027 edition. On December 4, an optional technical visit to Puerto Quetzal will take place, with prior registration and limited spaces, to learn about the operations of the host country.

The agenda thus places port competitiveness on a level that goes beyond simply expanding docks and yards: attracting and sustaining new cargo flows will require coordinating infrastructure, investment certainty, security, and reliable services . For Guatemala, the meeting will allow it to present its modernization priorities to operators, suppliers, and investors in the region.

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El cargo Latin American ports are staking their competitiveness on investment, technology, and security apareció primero en T21.

The story of Tecomar , one of the shipping companies that marked the beginning of containerized maritime transport in Mexico during the 1970s, opens a new chapter. This time, it’s not about recalling its operations or the obstacles it faced in developing infrastructure at the port of Tuxpan, Veracruz, but rather about identifying who made that business project possible and recognizing the various responsibilities that converged in its consolidation.

Half a century after that logistical transformation, the Harmsen Wolff family , through their representative, Grisselle Wolff, has undertaken a documentary recovery effort to expand the historical memory of Tecomar and give visibility to those who participated in its founding, financing, administration and operational development.

The initiative stems from the publication of the book Tecomar, by Carlos Viveros Figueroa , a work that reconstructs the institutional, commercial and logistical challenges that the company faced to establish maritime container operations in Tuxpan, when the port lacked specialized infrastructure and Mexico was just beginning to incorporate this mode of transport.

While acknowledging Viveros’s contribution, the family believes it is necessary to distinguish between the management and leadership roles he held and the responsibilities of those who originally founded and promoted the company. Their position is not intended to create a personal conflict, but rather to contribute to a more complete historical reconstruction, based on documents and testimonies from those directly involved in the company.

According to information provided by the family and published in the digital archive Bitácora Tecomar , the founders of the shipping company were Peter Harmsen Garms, Arturo Wolff Alfaro and Hermann Stoldt Rank , three entrepreneurs whose contributions ranged from the conception of the maritime business to its financial backing and corporate articulation.

In that structure, Arturo Wolff Alfaro is identified as one of the main financial promoters and first chairman of the Board of Directors; Hermann Stoldt Rank, as founding partner and vice chairman; while Peter Harmsen Garms appears as a central figure in the commercial and operational conception of the project, particularly in the establishment of maritime container services between Mexico, the United States and Europe.

Harmsen’s experience in the German shipping sector and his knowledge of the logistical needs of the automotive industry would have been key in identifying the opportunity to establish a supply corridor to the Volkswagen plant in Puebla , using Tuxpan as the point of entry for goods.

That decision represented a considerable challenge. In the early 1970s, Tuxpan lacked the necessary facilities to regularly service container ships, while administrative restrictions and resistance from various sectors of the transport industry complicated the introduction of a model that replaced traditional general cargo handling with standardized units.

In this context, Carlos Viveros’s participation also becomes relevant. During the presentation of his book , the author recalled the negotiations necessary to obtain permits and develop private infrastructure in the port. “It was a real mess, but we pulled it off,” he said, describing the administrative difficulties that accompanied the project.

The distinction proposed by the Harmsen Wolff family focuses precisely on that point: recognizing the importance of these efforts without exclusively attributing to one of its participants the conception and materialization of a business initiative that required capital, maritime knowledge, commercial relationships, legal advice and operational capacity.

The interest in clarifying these facts also found support among former members of the company. In a collective letter dated September 8, 2026, of which T21 has a copy , six former directors, officers, and employees requested that Formas e Imágenes, the book’s publisher and printer, and Librería Porrúa, responsible for its distribution, review the facts and statements contained in the work.

Among the signatories are Helmut Mueller, who served as vice president; René H. Ruvalcaba Andrade, former director of Operations; Hans Klug, former general supervisor; and Eduardo Gallo y Tello, former tax advisor, as well as Eduardo Kokke Rocha and José Carlos Medina Rendón.

The request proposes to compare the content of the publication with historical documentation, testimonies and other sources related to Tecomar , as well as to incorporate any relevant clarifications in future editions.

“Our request is not intended to generate a personal confrontation or limit the expression of opinions,” the document states, emphasizing the need to preserve the memory of the founders and those who participated in the development of the shipping company.

The document is accompanied by an informational note that questions several passages in the book , particularly those related to the partners’ responsibilities, the legal procedures for initiating operations, and Peter Harmsen’s involvement in strategic decisions. Among the episodes mentioned is the arrival of the ship Dorli on June 24, 1973, whose operation, according to the document, was preceded by an injunction filed by the company with the intervention of lawyer Omar Olvera de Luna.

Harmsen’s participation in the establishment of Transportadora Multimodal Mexicana is also claimed , and reference is made to legal procedures related to the land movement of containers, an activity that faced regulatory restrictions during those years.

These statements broaden the reconstruction of the process, although they require distinguishing between the testimonies of its protagonists and the legal evidence that proves specific responsibilities.

One of the documentary details that can be independently verified pertains to the regulatory framework . The document points out that the prologue of the book reverses the promulgation dates of two laws: the Ports Law was published on July 19, 1993, while the Navigation Law appeared on January 4, 1994, according to the records of the Official Gazette of the Federation.

As part of this effort, the family launched Bitácora Tecomar , a digital historical archive that compiles photographs, newspaper clippings, testimonials, and materials about the company’s history. The site also includes information about vessels such as the Tajín, Tuxpan, and Tumilco , which were part of its maritime development.

The archive provides an additional source for studying the company’s history, although the review conducted so far does not definitively establish all aspects of its original shareholding structure . Consulting the articles of incorporation and the corresponding corporate records will be essential to formally corroborate the founders’ participation and the responsibilities attributed to each.

Furthermore, Viveros’s own narrative contains elements that reveal the collective nature of that experience. During the presentation of his book, the author recalled that Tecomar once handled 40% of maritime traffic between Mexico and Europe and that Tuxpan achieved second place nationally in container handling in 1989 and 1990, figures he presented as part of the company’s legacy.

Thus, the author’s contributions and the Harmsen Wolff family’s perspective are not necessarily mutually exclusive. While the former reconstructs the negotiations and obstacles that accompanied the transaction, the latter seeks to shed greater light on the business, financial, and commercial decisions that made it possible.

Tecomar’s history extends beyond its executives . It includes port workers, merchant mariners, legal specialists, and logistics operators who participated in building a national maritime service with international connections, as well as the memory of the 27 crew members of the Tuxpan who lost their lives in the North Atlantic.

More than five decades after its initial operations, Tecomar’s legacy offers an opportunity to revisit a pivotal period in the history of the Mexican merchant marine . The significance of this historical recovery lies not in replacing one of its key figures with another, but in documenting how a collective initiative transformed the logistical capabilities of Tuxpan. Recognizing those who contributed capital, knowledge, management skills, and labor does not fragment Tecomar’s history; it allows for a more precise understanding of the scope of what they built.

(Main photo: taken from the Bitácora Tecomar website )

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El cargo Tecomar, a story that seeks to bring back all its protagonists apareció primero en T21.

Twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container traffic at Mexican ports registered another monthly decline in September 2026, marking two consecutive months of decreases. Although the balance for the January-September period remains positive compared to 2025, growth has slowed compared to last August.

According to statistics from the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) , the National Port System registered  777,826 TEUs moved in September 2026 , a decrease of 8.3% compared to the 848,641 containers moved in August.

According to an analysis by T21 Business Intelligence , the performance in the ninth month of the year showed a monthly decline in the country’s four main ports.

In the Mexican Pacific, Manzanillo handled 329,942 TEUs during September 2016, representing a 10.6% decrease compared to the 368,883 TEUs handled in the same month of the previous year. Lázaro Cárdenas handled 203,575 TEUs, a 7.9% decline compared to August, when it handled 221,131 TEUs.

On the Gulf of Mexico side , declines were also observed. Veracruz registered a  monthly drop of 3.6%, handling 105,618 TEUs in September 2026. Altamira decreased by 9.7% with 72,891 containers moved in the ninth month of the year.

Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas maintain cumulative growth

Between January and September 2026, Mexican ports handled 7,290,474 TEUs , an increase of 2.4% compared to the 7,120,875 recorded during the same period in 2025.

This increase was driven by Manzanillo , which remained the country’s main port in container traffic, with 3,154,781 TEUs in the first nine months of the year, representing a 9.5% increase compared to the same period in 2025. With this result, the port accounted for 43.3% of the total TEUs handled nationwide .

Lázaro Cárdenas ranked second with 2,008,597 TEUs, a 2.9% increase compared to January-September of last year. These two Pacific ports accounted for 70.8% of the country’s container traffic.

In contrast, Veracruz handled 907,802 TEUs, representing a decrease of 5.6%, while Altamira accumulated 651,914 TEUs, 5% less than in the January-September 2025 cycle.

These figures come in a context where Mexican foreign trade continues to strengthen. In August 2016 alone, the country’s exports reached a value of $78.01 billion, an increase of 40.4% year-on-year , according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) .

The featured image was generated using artificial intelligence.

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