Despite the uncertainty that global trade has faced due to more aggressive tariff policies, Mexico’s ports ended 2025 with a record of 9,529,886 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled, representing a 1.6% increase compared to 2024 , when 9,375,546 TEUs were moved, according to figures from the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) .
In December 2025 alone , there was a slight increase of 0.9% compared to the same month in 2024 , with a total of 804,452 TEUs handled.
Manzanillo, in Colima, remained the leading port at the close of 2025, with a total of 346,003 TEUs in December , which meant an increase of 3.5% compared to the same period in 2024.
However, the accumulated total for January-December of last year showed a slight drop, with 3,893,355 TEUs handled, a decrease of 0.8% compared to the accumulated total for 2024 .
Meanwhile, Lázaro Cárdenas, in Michoacán, totaled 229,012 TEUs moved during December 2025, a growth of 9.2% over the last month of 2024; while in the accumulated total it reached two million 616 thousand 770 TEUs, an increase of 8.7 percent.
The port of Veracruz reported the operation of 101,532 TEUs in the last month of 2025, which meant a slight decrease of 0.1% , and in the January-December period it totaled 1,299,337 TEUs, a decrease of 0.2% compared to the same period in 2024.
Altamira, in Tamaulipas, also registered negative figures. In December 2025, it handled 66,838 TEUs, a drop of 20.7% ; while in the year to date, it moved 887,101 TEUs, a decrease of 3.5% compared to 2024.
Regarding the percentage of containers moved during December, Manzanillo accounted for 43%; Lázaro Cárdenas 28.4%, Veracruz 12.6%, and Altamira 8.3% of the total operations.
The performance of Mexico’s main ports during 2025 reflected a landscape of resilience and adaptation in the face of international trade instability . Although some ports, such as Altamira, experienced declines, the sustained growth in Lázaro Cárdenas and the partial recovery of Manzanillo demonstrate that the National Port System maintains its responsiveness and remains a key driver of Mexico’s competitiveness.
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