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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The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) , through the General Directorate of Environmental Impact and Risk (DGIRA), determined to formally end the environmental impact assessment procedure of the project “Development of the New Manzanillo Port, in the Basin II of the Cuyutlán Lagoon” , promoted by the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo .

Through Official Letter SRA/DGIRA/DG-10367-25 , dated December 17, 2025, the environmental authority resolved to “finalize the Environmental Impact Assessment Procedure and order its filing as a concluded matter,” considering it materially impossible to continue with the evaluation of the project under the current file (code 06CL2025V0012).

The resolution does not imply a suspension or an administrative prevention: it is a formal termination of the procedure, which legally extinguishes the ongoing environmental process and eliminates the possibility that the project will continue its evaluation under the environmental impact statement (MIA-R) originally submitted.

In practical terms, the DGIRA’s decision compels Asipona Manzanillo to completely restart the environmental process if it intends to continue developing the new port. The resolution itself stipulates that any modification or reconfiguration of the project must be processed through a new Environmental Impact Statement in the regional modality, with a new file, new technical studies, a new public consultation, and a new comprehensive evaluation.

A project that ceases to exist administratively

The document is clear in its institutional scope: the Puerto Nuevo Manzanillo project, as it was presented in the procedure initiated in August 2025, ceases to exist from an administrative and environmental standpoint. This is not a technical correction or an engineering adjustment, but rather the complete invalidation of the evaluation process .

The DGIRA concludes that the “alternative” presented by the promoter – a reconfiguration of the port design to reduce the impact on the mangrove and avoid direct intervention on the Cocodrilo I and II islands – actually constitutes a new project , with environmental impacts different from those originally evaluated.

Among the elements that support this determination are the modification of docks, dredging, terminal platforms, navigation routes and the hydrodynamic interaction of Basin II with the other basins of the Cuyutlán lagoon system (I, III and IV), which generates cumulative and synergistic impacts not considered in the initial MIA-R.

The environmental authority points out that this reconfiguration involves the occupation of new areas , the alteration of hydrological flows and sediment transport, as well as the need for new specialized technical studies, including hydrodynamic modeling, sediment balances, flora and fauna inventories, and regional impact analysis.

The mangrove as a turning point

One of the central points of the resolution is the impact on the mangrove ecosystem. The DGIRA concludes that, even with the alternative presented, the project still involves the removal and alteration of mangroves , an ecosystem subject to strict regulatory protection.

Furthermore, the document warns that the port operation would modify the physicochemical conditions of the water , generating a progressive deterioration of the habitat, with additional loss of mangroves, affecting associated species and weakening the ecological functionality of the lagoon system in the long term.

The resolution also identifies risks of contaminant dispersal towards basins III and IV of the Cuyutlán Lagoon, areas linked to the proposed creation of a Protected Natural Area, with possible impacts on fishing, resident and migratory birds, regional biodiversity and salt production.

From strategic project to restartable project

From an institutional perspective, Semarnat’s decision transforms the status of the New Manzanillo Port: it ceases to be a project under evaluation and becomes a project that can be restarted .

This implies that any attempt at development must be rebuilt from the zero phase of environmental planning, with new technical bases, new studies, new social consultations and a new comprehensive assessment of impacts, in an environment where the ecological component acquires a determining weight.

Strategically, the resolution reshapes the horizon for port expansion in Manzanillo . The new port ceases to be a short- or medium-term project and shifts towards a long-term planning approach, subject to complex processes of environmental assessment, territorial governance, and social legitimacy.

Beyond the administrative record, the document reflects a structural shift in the relationship between port expansion and environmental boundaries. The development of new logistics infrastructure in ecologically sensitive areas is no longer solely governed by technical engineering criteria and operational capacity, but also by an institutional framework that prioritizes ecosystem integrity , public participation, and cumulative regional impacts.

The New Manzanillo Port project was not rejected in terms of future viability, but it was legally deactivated in its current configuration. From this point forward, any new attempt must be built under a completely different approach: not as a port expansion, but as a new project that is environmentally, territorially, and socially validated from its inception.

A multi-year project

The project for a new port in Cuyutlán is neither a recent nor a circumstantial idea: it is an initiative that has endured decades of failed attempts, technical redesigns, and planning adjustments without ever coming to fruition . However, it was during the administration of Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum that this proposal received more direct and structured institutional attention, to the point that, within the strategic plan, it was projected that at least one container terminal could be operational in the area before 2030.

Despite this, the constant factor preventing its realization has always been the same: environmental viability . The ecological complexity of the Cuyutlán lagoon system, the presence of mangroves, the hydrodynamic fragility of the ecosystem, and the cumulative regional impacts have transformed the environmental component not into an administrative obstacle, but into the true structural limitation of the project.

In one of his last public appearances as general director of Asipona Manzanillo, Admiral Guillermo Mejía George had announced that by October 2025, letters of interest had been received from the 13 most important shipping companies and terminals worldwide to participate in the future tenders for the Cuyutlán project.

“The next terminal will be put out to tender in July 2026 (…) and the first terminal will be operational in 2028-2029 ,” Mejía George announced during his participation in the XXIX Annual Congress of Shipping Agents, organized by the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents (Amanac) .

The new port facility planned by Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, located about 30 kilometers from the current port, would cover approximately 1,880 hectares, an area four times larger than the current port of Manzanillo . It would specialize in containers and hydrocarbons, but would also include a support dock for inter-port transfers. Its depth of -18 meters would allow it to receive deep-draft vessels, while the terminals would have docks ranging from 1,176 to 2,000 meters in length, and surface areas ranging from 49 to 104 hectares.

The plan envisioned five highly technological container terminals , with yards and docks designed for progressive automation and comprehensive rail connectivity.

In its strategic conception, the project for the new port in Cuyutlán not only responded to a logic of expansion, but also to an operational need of the national port system: to serve as a relief valve for the current port of Manzanillo , which in recent years has operated recurrently under conditions of saturation.

The pressure on its infrastructure is not insignificant: Manzanillo closed 2025 handling 3,893,357 twenty-foot containers (TEUs), with only a slight decrease of 0.8% compared to 2024 , according to official statistics, which confirms that, even in scenarios of marginal stagnation, the levels of operation remain structurally high.

In that context, Cuyutlán was emerging as a key element for redistributing flows, alleviating bottlenecks, and reconfiguring the region’s logistical capacity. However, the Semarnat resolution makes it clear that port expansion can no longer be considered solely as a response to operational saturation: the environmental variable has become the structural factor that defines the real limits of port growth, even in the country’s main logistics hubs .

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El cargo Semarnat closes the environmental file for the New Manzanillo Port and forces the project to be restarted from scratch. apareció primero en T21.

VERACRUZ, VER.- Construction of the Nuevo Manzanillo port has not yet formally begun, but it has already sparked the interest of major global players in the maritime industry. According to Admiral Guillermo Mejía George, director general of the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo , letters of interest have been received from 13 of the world’s largest shipping companies and terminals to participate in future bidding processes.

“The next terminal will be put out to tender in July 2026 (…) and the first terminal will be operational in 2028-2029,” he said during his participation in the 29th Annual Congress of Shipping Agents, organized by the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents (Amanac) .

This project is, in the words of George Mejía himself, a historic opportunity to reorganize port operations . “The Port of Manzanillo is a very busy and successful port, so the expansion project gives us the opportunity not only to expand our operational capacity, but also to implement planning that allows everything currently done in San Pedrito to be done in a more orderly and efficient manner in Cuyutlán Lagoon.”

The new port complex, located approximately 30 kilometers from the current port, will cover 1,880 hectares, a polygon four times the size of the current Manzanillo port. It will specialize in containers and hydrocarbons, but will also include a support dock for interport transfers . Its depth of -18 meters will allow it to receive deep-draft vessels, while the terminals will have docks measuring between 1,176 and 2,000 meters, and areas ranging from 49 to 104 hectares.

The plan includes five highly technological container terminals, with yards and docks designed for progressive automation and comprehensive rail connectivity . “The movement here is intended to be 70% by rail and 30% by land transport,” the admiral stated.

The construction of this new port also includes the relocation of the Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) facilities currently located in Polygon 1, a measure that, he explained, will strengthen the energy supply chain, ensuring control and traceability, and reducing risks to society at large.

The goal is ambitious: to make Manzanillo the number one port in Latin America and the 15th worldwide, with a projected volume of 10 million TEUs annually. “The goal: greater productivity per area, lower operational risk, and greater logistical efficiency,” Mejía George summarized.

According to the official, the current port of Manzanillo is operating at 95% capacity , causing severe congestion when internal or external disruptions occur, while the expansions currently underway at the terminals could reduce this percentage to only 89%. This highlights the importance of building the New Manzanillo port.

It should be remembered that in June of this year, T21 published that in an extraordinary session of the Board of Directors of Asipona Manzanillo, it was reported that the port authority would begin the administrative process for the relocation of the Specialized Container Terminal (TEC) I , concessioned since 1995 to the American company  SSA Marine Mexico , to the port of Cuyutlán.

He added that Navy personnel are working directly with Semarnat to expedite the process.

Added to this is the opposition from some local groups. ” There are some leaders out there who don’t let us move forward… they just put up obstacles, and those leaders have nothing to do with the fishermen. So the problem will be solved,” he stated. For years, he said, they have been working to offer alternatives to fishing cooperatives and prevent damage. “The watershed where they work is definitely not being touched, and they are being given support,” he emphasized.

Despite these obstacles, the project maintains international appeal. Six global companies have already expressed interest in participating in the dredging project , one of the most important technical components of the project. For Mejía George, the message is clear: Mexican port expansion is attracting global attention, and the challenge is to translate that interest into efficient and sustainable infrastructure within the agreed timeframe.

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El cargo Puerto Nuevo Manzanillo “attracts” large shipping companies and terminals apareció primero en T21.