May marked a turning point for port productivity in Mexico. After four consecutive months of increases in the dwell times of trucking units transporting import containers, the Average Trucking Time Indicator in Ports (ITPAP) , compiled by T21 Business Intelligence , registered its first improvement of 2016, driven by a reduction in customs processing times and an operational recovery particularly visible in Lázaro Cárdenas.

The average port turnaround time for a truck was 11 hours, 45 minutes, and 2 seconds in May , a decrease of 1 hour, 20 minutes, and 44 seconds compared to the 13 hours, 5 minutes, and 46 seconds recorded in April. This broke an upward trend that had persisted since the beginning of the year and had brought turnaround times to their highest level in April.

The improvement becomes even more significant when observing the cumulative behavior of the index during 2016. In January, the average time spent online was 8 hours, 47 minutes, and 33 seconds; by February, it had climbed to 11 hours, 9 minutes, and 20 seconds; in March, it reached 12 hours, 56 minutes, and 32 seconds; and in April, it reached 13 hours, 5 minutes, and 46 seconds. In other words, during the first four months of the year, the average time spent online increased steadily , accumulating an increase of more than four hours compared to the beginning of the year.

For May, ITPAP considered the measurement of 1,629 movements in the four ports it evaluates: Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira and Veracruz, the ones with the highest import movement of containers in the country.

The improvement observed in May is primarily due to the performance of customs operations. The average customs processing time at the four ports decreased from 6 hours, 25 minutes, and 42 seconds in April to 5 hours, 45 minutes, and 1 second in May—a reduction of more than 40 minutes. This component had been the main cause of the decline observed in previous months, increasing from 4 hours, 20 minutes, and 12 seconds in January to more than six hours during March and April.

Waiting times also contributed to the recovery. The average decreased from 3 hours, 48 ​​minutes, and 35 seconds to 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 14 seconds between April and May, while maneuvers improved from 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 29 seconds to 2 hours, 35 minutes, and 47 seconds. The combination of these three factors allowed for a partial reversal of the operational pressure accumulated during the first four months of the year.

This trend is significant because the Michoacán port had been the main driver of the decline recorded during the first months of the year. In fact, between January and April, average dwell times increased from 10 hours, 48 ​​minutes, and 43 seconds to almost 17 hours, making it the port with the most strained performance among the four ports considered by ITPAP.

Manzanillo also registered an improvement , albeit a more moderate one. Its average port time decreased from 10 hours, 32 minutes, and 48 seconds in April to 10 hours, 21 minutes, and 33 seconds in May. Veracruz showed a marginal reduction, while Altamira was the only port that experienced an increase in its average port times during the analyzed period.

The recovery observed by ITPAP occurred in a context where container imports showed varying trends among ports. According to figures from the Ports and Merchant Marine Unit (UPMM) , between January and May 2026, Mexican ports handled 1.50 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of imports , a decrease of 1.9% compared to the same period in 2025.

In the Pacific region, where Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas are located , import container traffic remained virtually stable, with a decrease of just 0.9 percent. However, the results were contrasting at the individual port levels: Manzanillo saw a 3.8% increase, handling 717,929 TEUs, while Lázaro Cárdenas registered a 9.9% drop, with 275,256 TEUs. In the Gulf of Mexico, Altamira reported a 1.2% decrease and Veracruz a 2.9% decrease.

While May does not return the indicator to the levels observed at the beginning of the year, it does represent the first respite for logistics chains linked to container imports.

The reduction of more than one hour in average dwell times suggests an improvement in the operational fluidity of the country’s main ports, although challenges still remain to recover the efficiency they showed at the beginning of 2026.

The question now is whether this trend can be sustained during the second half of the year, when the approach of the peak season typically increases import volumes , boosts demand for land transport, and puts the operational capacity of ports, terminals, and customs to the test. The results of the coming months will determine whether the improvement observed in May was a temporary adjustment or the beginning of a more consistent recovery in trucking service times.

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Retired Admiral Julio César Pescina Ávila was appointed this Friday as general director of the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Mazatlán , in a designation that reinforces the presence of high-ranking naval profiles at the head of Mexico’s port operations

With this appointment, the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) maintains the current management line of the national port system, characterized by the designation of profiles from the naval field, in a context in which Mexican ports face greater demands in terms of operational control, efficiency and logistical competitiveness.

Pescina Ávila has a distinguished career within the Mexican Navy. Between May and October 2024, he served as Undersecretary of the Navy, in addition to holding positions such as Rector of the Naval University , Commander of the Sixth and Twelfth Naval Regions, Director of the Naval Engineering School, and Head of the Naval Intelligence Unit. His profile combines operational command, academic training, and strategic planning, attributes that have been key in the recent reconfiguration of the country’s maritime and port governance.

In the academic field, he is a graduate of the Heroic Naval Military School and holds a master’s degree and completed the General Staff Course at the Center for Higher Naval Studies, where he graduated first in his class. He also completed diplomas in National Security, Political Analysis, and Human Rights at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Center for Economic Research and Teaching. Throughout his career, he has received numerous national and international decorations.

The arrival of the new director comes at a time of moderate growth for the Port of Mazatlán. From January to November 2025, the terminal handled 4.24 million tons of cargo, a 4.1% increase compared to the same period in 2024. In container handling, the port registered 42,441 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), representing an 8.2% year-over-year increase, while the automotive sector showed a 4.5% contraction, with 148,560 new vehicles handled, according to data from the Ports and Merchant Marine Unit of the Mexican Navy (Semar).

With this change in the general management, Asipona Mazatlán begins a new stage under a leadership with strong naval roots , at a time when the port seeks to consolidate its operational growth, strengthen its regional role in the Pacific and align itself with the strategic priorities of the national port system.

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In a year-end marked by structural adjustments in the public sector, the Mexican Navy (Semar) took a step that completely reconfigures the country’s maritime and port governance. The afternoon edition of the Official Gazette of the Federation on December 11 published the new Internal Regulations of the Navy, which create the Undersecretariat of Maritime and Port Affairs , a high-level body that—under the command of an admiral—will centralize the management of the National Maritime Authority and the strategic definition of the Mexican port system.

The new design goes beyond administrative restructuring: it consolidates maritime security, port protection, the Merchant Marine, port development, and intergovernmental coordination under a single command structure. Its responsibilities include developing official Mexican standards for marine safety, security, and the environment; defining policies for water transport; coordinating with international organizations and federal agencies; and proposing legal and regulatory reforms to align the regulatory framework with global standards. The Undersecretariat will also determine the jurisdiction and classification of Port Captaincies and will play a direct role in overseeing state-owned enterprises in the sector.

To carry out this wide range of responsibilities, the Undersecretariat will rely on two key administrative units: the National Maritime Authority Unit and the Ports and Merchant Marine Unit , both reorganized with new powers and internal directions.

National Maritime Authority Unit: the operational arm of the maritime authority

The National Maritime Authority Unit —formerly the Port Captaincies and Maritime Affairs Unit, or Unicapam—will be responsible for the daily operations of the Mexican State as the National Maritime Authority. It will manage maritime and port security and protection; safeguard human life at sea; implement international standards; prevent pollution; investigate maritime accidents; conduct fisheries inspections; and manage the Single Digital Window.

This unit will manage the Port Captaincies and will have an active role in audits by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) , search and rescue, and supervision of master port development programs in the area of ​​safety and security.

To perform these functions, it will have three attached general directorates

• General Directorate of Port Captaincies.
• General Directorate of Maritime Protection and Certification.
• General Directorate of Liaison and Maritime Affairs.

These areas will provide technical and operational support for the surveillance, supervision, certification, inspection, and regulatory coordination required for the modernization of the Mexican maritime system.

Ports and Merchant Marine Unit: public policy, port development and sector regulation

The second revamped structure is the Ports and Merchant Marine Unit —formerly the General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM)—which will be responsible for leading public policy for the development of the port and merchant marine sector. It will have the authority to coordinate permits and authorizations; enable ports and terminals; regulate maritime services; administer the National Maritime Public Registry; and oversee infrastructure, tariffs, and specialized services such as towing and launch services.

The unit will also promote sustainability strategies, strengthening of cabotage, interaction of the National Port System with other modes of transport and nautical educational training, including the signing of professional titles for graduating personnel.

Its operational structure will consist of three general directorates:

• General Directorate of Ports.
• General Directorate of Merchant Marine.
• General Directorate of Port Development and Administration.

Each of these departments is key to coordinating the strategic planning of the National Port System , updating regulations, supporting the Merchant Marine, and overseeing state-owned port companies. The head of this unit must be a Captain or Chief Engineer of the Mexican Merchant Marine, reinforcing the technical nature of the position.

A redesign without a budget increase… and still no headlines

The decree will come into effect on December 12, and according to the transitional articles, the Navy does not foresee a budget increase to carry out this restructuring , which raises operational questions in a sector that demands high technical specialization and growing international responsibilities.

At the time of publication, the agency had not yet announced the individuals who will head the new Undersecretariat or those who will lead the attached administrative units. Their appointments will be crucial in shaping the course of this institutional transformation, which redefines how Mexico will exercise its maritime authority, manage its port system, and coordinate its Merchant Marine in the face of the sector’s global challenges.

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El cargo Semar redefines maritime-port governance: the Undersecretariat of Maritime and Port Affairs is created apareció primero en T21.