In extreme situations, extreme measures are required. Contecon Manzanillo distributed a statement this Thursday stating that, together with the Mexican National Customs Agency (ANAM) , they will activate extended 24-hour operations at the Manzanillo customs office for three days to “address peak demand.”
The measure comes a month after Manzanillo customs personnel closed the port’s entrances during the week of May 12-16 in protest of poor working conditions and unjustified dismissals, causing operational chaos that has yet to be resolved.
This situation has caused unprecedented delays in the port’s import and export activities, primarily affecting trucking operations. There have even been cases of vessels being diverted to other Mexican ports , as in the case of the MV MSC NOA ARIELA 0513 WB, which was scheduled to stop at the Contecon Manzanillo and SSA terminals and had to unload its cargo at the port of Lázaro Cárdenas due to “lack of berths at both terminals,” according to a statement shared by the ONE shipping company the day before.
According to a statement from Contecon Manzanillo, the extraordinary extension of opening hours will be implemented in the highway modulation area of the Manzanillo North Zone Customs Office.
The measure applies from Thursday, June 12 to Saturday, June 14, 2025, with the following hours:
- Thursday, June 12: 24 hours.
- Friday, June 13: 24 hours.
- Saturday, June 14: from midnight to 9:00 p.m.
“This adjustment facilitates continuous operations for almost three days and represents a strategic step to streamline the clearance of imported goods, reduce logistical bottlenecks, and respond to the growing demand for foreign trade flowing through the port of Manzanillo,” according to a statement from Contecon Manzanillo.
Contecon Manzanillo and SSA are the main specialized container terminals in the port of Colima, considered the busiest commercial port on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
In the first four months of this year, the port of Manzanillo handled a total of 1,291,721 20-foot containers (TEU) in import and export activities , just 1.5% more than the same period last year, according to statistics from the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo.
“At Contecon Manzanillo, we recognize that these types of collaborative actions with customs authorities like ANAM are essential to boosting the competitiveness of the port and the country. This extended schedule is part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening trade facilitation processes, especially during peak demand periods,” said José Antonio Contreras, CEO of Contecon Manzanillo, quoted in the statement.
It was also specified that customs inspections during this extraordinary period will be coordinated with the Manzanillo Customs Office and inspected directly at Contecon facilities , “for the benefit of traceability and operational efficiency.”
Earlier this month, ANAM, led by Rafael Marín Mollinedo , held a meeting with the business and logistics sectors to present the work carried out to resolve the operational problem that arose at the port of Manzanillo.
However, the port of Manzanillo continues to experience delays and logistical disruptions for users.
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