The saturation of the port of Manzanillo and the expansion work on the highway towards Colima are putting pressure on freight transport, generating congestion, longer travel times and additional costs for companies that depend on Mexico’s main commercial port, according to Yax Tzel Nolasco Gómez, president of the Manzanillo Freight Transporters Union (UTCM) .

According to UTCM , the combination of both factors has complicated the daily operations of carriers and is beginning to affect the entire logistics chain , from operators to importers and exporters.

“Today the port is experiencing considerable saturation, which has caused the collapse of each and every road leading to and from the port, as well as its entrance,” Nolasco noted.

He explained that congestion at the entrances forces cargo units to wait longer to enter or leave the port area, which increases operating costs and reduces the efficiency of freight transport.

Adding to this situation are the ongoing road widening works on the Manzanillo-Colima highway . According to Nolasco Gómez, one section has been under construction for over three and a half years without completion, while another recently began; however, both continue to cause problems due to a lack of signage, traffic coordination, and a more efficient response to congestion, particularly in the section known as La Salada .

The leader warned that these factors ultimately affect the country’s logistical competitiveness , as it is the port with the highest volume of containerized cargo in Mexico.

“We must not forget that, of every 10 containers that transit through the country, four enter through Manzanillo,” he stated, noting that any delay in this corridor affects the supply of goods for various productive sectors.

The disruptions to freight transport are occurring within a context of sustained growth in port activity. According to the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo , between January and June of this year, the port handled 15.5 million tons of commercial cargo , a 4.9% increase compared to the same period in 2015. If total cargo is considered, including the movement of petroleum products, the volume reached 16.3 million tons , 5.5% more than last year.

This increase represents greater demand for the land infrastructure connecting the port to the rest of the country . During the same period, TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) traffic reached 2.07 million , 9.9% higher than in the same period of 2025, while vessel arrivals grew by 8.7% . These indicators imply a greater flow of goods and, consequently, increased traffic of freight trucks accessing the port area.

Regarding the surveillance of the corridor, he clarified that the problem is not the absence of the National Guard , but rather that the operational capacity is insufficient to handle the flow of vehicles that travel daily on the federal highway.

“Yes, there is a National Guard presence; the problem is that it’s not enough. We need more patrols and more support in terms of patrols,” he commented. He added that around eight thousand vehicles travel along this corridor daily , so he considered it necessary to strengthen the presence of authorities to respond more quickly to incidents and reduce disruptions to freight transport.

The need to strengthen coordination between authorities and stakeholders in the port community was also reflected in a document released by UTCM, in which the Manzanillo Customs Directorate proposes actions to address the congestion at the port’s entrances. According to information shared by the organization, these requested measures would involve the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo , whose director general also chairs the Manzanillo Port Community (Copoma) .

According to UTCM, until the pending infrastructure is completed and measures are implemented to expedite access to the port, freight transport will continue to face delays that impact logistics competitiveness and Mexican foreign trade.

Comment and follow us on LinkedIn:  @Karina Quintero  /  @GrupoT21

El cargo At the limit! Port congestion and road construction are putting pressure on freight transport in Manzanillo apareció primero en T21.

On February 27, the Manzanillo Port Community (Copoma) will renew its board of directors in an election that, although it will not formally define the presidency – a position that by statute falls to the general director of the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo – will mark a turning point in the business representation within Mexico’s main maritime port on the Pacific coast.

Vice Admiral José Ignacio Moreno Díaz, the current director general of Asipona Manzanillo, heads both registered slates, confirming the institutional nature of Copoma’s leadership, an organization conceived as a space for coordination between the government and the private sector . However, the real contest is focused on the operational positions that support the presidency, particularly the vice presidency, the secretary, and the treasurer—positions that, in practice, facilitate daily communication between companies and the port authority.

As of press time, two forms had been registered:

Staffing Plan 1 is made up of profiles closely linked to land logistics operations and the direct handling of goods.

The vice presidency would be held by César Humberto Romero García, CEO of CIMA Group ; the secretary position by Yax Tzel Nolasco Gómez, president of RETO Agencia Aduanal , Transportes NOGO and delegate of the National Confederation of Mexican Transporters (Conatram) in Colima; the treasurer position by Raúl Sandoval López, general director of Grupo HAZESA ; and the Honor and Justice commission by Sergio Quiñones Rosales, director of GIMP Group and vice president of the National Association of Importers and Exporters of the Mexican Republic (ANIERM) .

Collectively, this group represents actors whose activity is located in the operational core of the port logistics flow.

Meanwhile, List 2 comprises representatives from trade associations and key sectors of foreign trade. The vice presidency would go to Óscar Benavides Carrillo, president of the Association of Customs Brokers of the Port of Manzanillo (AAAPUMAC) ; the secretary position to Roberto Meillón Covarrubias, president of the Shipping Agents Association and representative of the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents (Amanac) ; the treasurer position to Pablo Saúl Alcántar, president of the Union of Local Transportation Companies of Manzanillo (UETLM) ; and the Honor and Justice position to Rocío Pasillas Orozco, representative of Index Occidente , an organization that represents the export manufacturing industry.

Beyond the naming conventions, the process reflects the coexistence of two visions regarding business representation at the port . While one group operates from day-to-day logistics operations, the other emerges from the institutional structures involved in customs clearance, shipping representation, and the export industry. Both converge on the same objective: to strengthen coordination with the port authority in an increasingly complex environment.

The context in which this election takes place is significant. Manzanillo has consolidated its position as the country’s main container port , concentrating most of the maritime trade with Asia and serving as a gateway for the main industrial corridors of the Bajío region and central Mexico.

Last year alone, the port of Manzanillo handled 3,893,357 twenty-foot containers (TEUs) , just 0.8% below the figure reported a year earlier, according to port authority statistics.

Regarding the volume handled -excluding natural gas and oil and derivatives-, the port of Colima totaled 29 million 823 thousand 164 tons of goods in 2025, 5.0% below that recorded in 2024.

However, this leadership has also exposed its operational limitations, forcing the acceleration of expansion, modernization and logistical reorganization projects, including the development of new port areas in the Cuyutlán Lagoon with the New Manzanillo Port project (currently suspended due to environmental studies) .

In this context, Copoma has become a key liaison mechanism for channeling the needs of the private sector to the port authority. Although it does not exercise regulatory functions, its capacity for dialogue influences the identification of bottlenecks, operational coordination, and the building of consensus regarding the port’s operation.

The election on February 27th will therefore not alter the organization’s institutional leadership, but it will define which profiles and sectors will assume the role of predominant interlocutors within the port ecosystem. In a port where logistical, industrial, shipping, and customs interests converge, this representation acquires strategic value.

Work proposals: Forms 1 and 2

Analysis of the work plans—of which T21 has a copy of both—reveals that both proposals share the same diagnosis: the port’s growth has generated operational pressures that exceed the current logistical coordination capacity. However, their proposals diverge in the type of solutions they prioritize and the level of intervention they propose for the port ecosystem.

Slate 2 , headed by Vice President Óscar Benavides Carrillo, focuses its proposal on the physical organization of truck traffic as the main axis for improving port efficiency. Among its most concrete initiatives are the implementation of a regulating yard to control the entry of trucks into the customs and bonded area, as well as the certification of larger trucking companies’ yards to regulate their operations through technology and monitoring systems.

This proposal seeks to directly address one of the main factors of port congestion: the disorderly arrival of units and the lack of synchronization between yards, carriers and terminals.

Following the same logic, this document proposes specific measures aimed at improving the physical flow of operations, such as paving key roads like the Jalipa-Fiscal Zone access , optimizing customs inspection platforms, and implementing mechanisms to control the staggered entry of units into the port.

This is a strategy focused on intervening directly on the infrastructure and critical points where the greatest operational delays occur.

Another central component of their proposal is the strengthening of institutional capacity within the port, through efforts to increase staff in Customs, Immigration and Profepa , with the aim of streamlining inspections and reducing dispatch times.

This measure acknowledges that a significant portion of operational delays is associated not only with infrastructure, but also with the capacity of the authorities to process the increasing volume of transactions.

In contrast, Slate 1 , headed by Vice President César Humberto Romero García, proposes a broader transformation based on digitalization, the institutionalization of port management, and the creation of operational measurement tools. Among its most relevant proposals is the implementation of a Copoma Operational Indicators Dashboard , which would measure time, productivity, and logistical performance, as well as the adoption of digital systems to standardize processes and improve coordination among stakeholders.

This initiative aims to introduce data-driven management, with the ability to identify and correct structural inefficiencies.

This plan also proposes the creation of a Permanent Coordination Committee between Asipona, Customs, government and the private sector , with the objective of establishing formal mechanisms for the resolution of operational problems and the strategic planning of the port.

This measure seeks to institutionalize intersectoral coordination, transforming Copoma into an organization with greater technical capacity and influence in decision-making.

One of the most structural approaches within this proposal is the promotion of logistics modernization through the doubling of rail capacity, the implementation of a transport regulatory center, and the adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain to improve the traceability of operations.

This approach aims to transform the port’s operating model through the use of technology and the diversification of transport modes.

In summary, while Plan 2 proposes solutions aimed at resolving current bottlenecks through the physical organization of access points, the regulation of road transport, and the strengthening of existing operational infrastructure, Plan 1 proposes a transformation based on digitalization, the institutionalization of logistics coordination, and the structural modernization of the port system.

This difference is significant. It reflects two distinct approaches to the port’s future: one focused on resolving immediate operational constraints affecting the daily flow of goods, and the other aimed at transforming port management through technological tools and structural coordination mechanisms.

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El cargo Copoma redefines its internal balance amid operational pressure in Manzanillo apareció primero en T21.

Tempers are high at Contecon Manzanillo . The second busiest maritime terminal for handling containers in the port of Colima ended 2024 with the best record in its history .

It only totaled 1,454,201 20-foot containers (TEU) , which also meant a growth of 14.0% compared to the 2023 figure, according to the port’s official statistics.

There is no doubt that, among the ports of Mexico, Manzanillo has been in the “eye of the hurricane” in recent years , with blockades and protests by truckers, collapse of surrounding roads, failures in customs systems, anchored ships, among other types of problems that have not gone unnoticed by importers and exporters.

No wonder. It is the country’s main port for handling containerized goods , and last year alone it handled 39.8% of the national total, with just over 23.5 million tons; but if the calculation is made by number of containers, it handled 41.8% of the national total, with three million 924 thousand 515 TEU.

“2024 was a very important year of consolidation and growth for us,” José Antonio Contreras, general manager of Contecon Manzanillo, part of the Philippine company International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) , which has been operating the Specialized Container Terminal (TEC) II for 11 years, told T21.

Contreras, who has been in charge of TEC II since August 2021, referred in an interview to three specific points that drove the terminal’s growth in 2024: greater integration with its clients in the consolidation of cargo through Manzanillo; the strengthening of the use of the railroad ; and the start-up of part of the terminal’s expansion, along with the integration of new equipment (cranes).

In fact, the director stressed that this year the company will go all out on the railway issue , since one of its main objectives is to increase the evacuation of containers via the train tracks, in collaboration with its partner Ferromex .

“In the last four years we have increased the movement of containers by rail by 127%,” according to José Antonio Contreras.

Currently, TEC II, the only terminal in the port of Manzanillo with its own intermodal facility (for now with 2,200 linear meters of railway tracks) , has a daily schedule of two 60-car trains, which can transport up to 120 containers each.

Contecon Manzanillo’s plan for 2025 is to increase its track to 4.6 kilometers , which will allow it to operate three trains of 120 cars each. The investment here will be around eight million dollars.

“At the end of 2024, we will begin phase III-B (expansion). And the intermodal part is included in this,” said José Antonio Contreras, and estimated that the expansion of its routes would end in September of this year. “They will go directly to the final destination, as you know, mainly the Valley of Mexico, Guadalajara, and we will increase our penetration in the north of the country, (such as) Nuevo Laredo,” he said.

Likewise, Contreras predicted that the expansion of its tracks would trigger the block train services that have been developed since the beginning of 2023.

Expansion in process

At the end of September last year, Contecon Manzanillo announced the opening of three new container yards, which are part of its expansion project (phase III) and with which it increased its capacity by just over 200 thousand additional TEUs per year. In addition, a fourth yard is expected to come into operation in the coming months.

“The terminal is now approaching 1.7 million containers capacity,” said Contreras.

The TEC II expansion, which began in December 2022, also includes the extension of 400 meters of dock (to reach a total of 1.3 kilometers of dock with the capacity to serve up to three 400-meter ships) , 900 plugs for reefers (temperature-controlled containers), the acquisition of two super post-panamax dock cranes and another six RTGs. All this under an estimated investment of 300 million dollars.

With the adjustments, the terminal will have the capacity to operate between 2.3 and 2.4 million TEUs, and “with which Manzanillo will be able to breathe ,” according to the executive.

The collective outlook is for the port to continue increasing its activity in container handling , mainly in import cargo, where Asia, especially China, has contributed to this trend.

Meanwhile, the port community of Manzanillo has been aware of the problems and has worked on different strategies, together with the port authorities, to try to speed up cargo movements, such as changes in its operating rules, investment in a second access in the northern area of ​​the port, and extension of customs hours, among others.

But the main bet to recover the competitiveness of this port in the handling of containerized merchandise was announced last year. President Claudia Sheinbaum gave the initial flag for the construction of what was called Nuevo Manzanillo, which is the expansion of the port towards the Cuyutlán lagoon , which exceeds four times the area (sea and land) of the current port, and where the entire maritime-logistical sector has set its sights on getting a part of what will be developed there: four specialized container terminals, of which two of them are expected to come into operation by 2030.

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El cargo Contecon Manzanillo activates phase III-B of the Expansion Project apareció primero en T21.