The Ministry of the Navy (Semar) has decided to return to a familiar path. Starting October 1, 2025, Captain María Marisa Abarca Hernández will be reinstated as Director General of Ports , within the framework of the General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM) . But this appointment is no new development: Abarca previously led the Directorate General of Ports (DGP) from August 16, 2022, until her departure on March 15, 2024, when she was replaced by Captain Juan Francisco Ríos Gómez.

This return raises profound questions about the state’s port strategy: Is this a commitment to institutional continuity, or rather a reaffirmation of the Navy’s control over the national port system in times of high logistical tension?

A dual trajectory, between public and private

Abarca Hernández’s career combines technical experience, operational roles, and experience in the private sector, a profile that undoubtedly influenced her appointment. She graduated from the Tampico Merchant Nautical School, specializing in Educational Institution Management from the Universidad Panamericana. Her resume includes positions such as Head of the Maritime Traffic Control Center, Security Officer, Loading Master, and positions within the DGP (General Directorate of Public Administration) and the Semar (Semar), where she was responsible for ports, terminals, and operating rules for the port system.

Among her most recent positions, she worked for Boluda Towage as Director of Business Development for the Americas, which gave her exposure to the private sector of towage and maritime services. In this sense, her profile embodies one of the few current combinations of military-maritime institutional knowledge and private sector experience.

The history of his 2022–2024 administration—which he is now returning to—provides clues about his style: during that period, he balanced efforts to define administrative control and respond to operational demands for efficiency, although his formal departure in March 2024 was interpreted as a tactical adjustment within the CGPMM.

Abarca’s return assumes that she already knows the corridors, actors, and resistances of the port system. This experience can be a strategic advantage for moving forward without visible divisions, but it can also carry the burden of the mistakes and unresolved tensions of her previous administration.

Nearshoring , pressure from global chains, and regional port competition demand swift decisions. In this scenario, reinstating Abarca sends a clear message: Semar is committed to continuity, direct supervision, and experienced leadership. But it also runs the risk of projecting a conservative approach if the first few months fail to show visible innovation or reforms .

The private sector’s expectations —streamlined permitting, improved customs logistics chains, modern infrastructure— are high. If Abarca’s return isn’t accompanied by structural changes, his reinstatement as the new governor could become a symbol of inertia rather than renewal.

On the eve of its replacement, a port board under tension

The Mexican port system faces persistent bottlenecks: customs delays, limited terminal capacity, an urgent need for modernization, and unexpected global competition. In this context, the General Directorate of Ports functions as a crucial hub: it issues operating standards, approves infrastructure master plans, oversees concessions, and regulates rates.

Abarca Hernández’s return means resuming that node with the advantage of knowledge and experience, but also under the scrutiny of operators, regional competitors, and logistics chains that demand rapid responses.

The big question mark will be whether this appointment manages to combine the institutional discipline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SEMAR) with the technical flexibility that the port business demands today. If it does, a new era could be consolidated. If it insists on vertical models without openness, the Mexican port system will continue to navigate in backward waters compared to its regional and global peers.

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