Pacific International Lines (PIL) has made a key change in its Mexican operations. Brenda Santiago has assumed the general management of the shipping company in the country , at a time when the maritime market is facing operational pressures, tariff adjustments, and increasingly intense competition on the Asia-Mexico route.

The announcement was made by the executive herself through her LinkedIn profile , where she stated that she is starting “a new chapter” in her professional career.

“I am pleased to share that I am beginning a new chapter as Managing Director for Mexico at PIL Pacific International Lines (PTE) Ltd.,” she posted. The transition, she explained, comes after “many years in a role that shaped me both professionally and personally.”

The message also reveals the tone of the challenge she is taking on. “It’s a role that comes with real challenges, and I’m ready for it ,” she added, in an environment where shipping companies have had to adjust their strategies in the face of volatile demand and cost pressures.

In terms of experience, Santiago comes to this position with a background in global shipping companies, particularly CMA CGM , where he has developed his career in various roles within the maritime business , with exposure to both the Mexican market and international operations. His profile also reflects active participation in business development and training initiatives within the logistics sector.

Although the strategic priorities under this new leadership have not been publicly detailed, the move comes at a time when Mexico remains a relevant market within the transpacific network, particularly due to its connection with Asia and the dynamism of its imports.

The change in local management is part of a strategy the company itself has been developing in recent years. According to an analysis published by T21 magazine in its June 2025 edition , PIL has focused on expanding its presence in Latin America , with Mexico as one of its priority markets.

After overcoming a financial restructuring process prior to the pandemic – which included the entry of Heliconia Capital, from the Temasek group of Singapore, as majority shareholder – the shipping company resumed an expansion plan focused on the region, according to what was said at the time by Andrés Poveda, the former general manager in Mexico of PIL .

In that context, the company decided to strengthen its direct presence in key markets such as Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Guatemala , leaving behind a model more dependent on agents to assume strategic functions such as commercial relations, customer service and operational management.

The stakes are high. PIL ranks as the twelfth largest shipping company in the world , with a capacity of 442,216 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and a fleet of 99 container ships, according to Alphaliner. This scale allows it to compete on key routes, although it still lags behind the global giants of the sector.

In Mexico, the company has sought to position itself with services focused on the Asia-Pacific route , both through alliances and with its own routes that connect ports such as Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas .

Within that plan, the company has even set specific market share targets, seeking to reach between 4% and 5% in Mexican Pacific ports , a territory dominated by large global players.

A relay that tests the strategy

In this context, Brenda Santiago’s arrival as general manager in Mexico not only represents an organizational change, but also a test for PIL’s growth strategy in one of the most competitive markets in maritime trade.

The challenge will be clear: to transform the expansion planned in recent years into a more robust operation , closer to the customer and capable of gaining ground in an environment where scale, reliability and service make the difference.

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El cargo PIL changes course in Mexico apareció primero en T21.

Maritime freight transport to Mexico has entered an adjustment phase that, rather than reflecting a crisis, exposes the tensions accumulated after years of accelerated growth, inflated expectations, and infrastructure that failed to keep pace with demand. What was interpreted during 2023 and 2024 as the definitive consolidation of the country as the new logistics epicenter of North America began to show signs of exhaustion in 2025. Torsten Nolting, senior vice president of Hapag-Lloyd in Mexico, describes it in an interview as an inevitable correction: “We had a declining import market in 2025, after two years of strong import growth, especially from Asia to Mexico . ”

The 6% year-on-year decline in maritime imports in the Mexican market during 2025, according to data from Container Trades Statistics (CTS) , far from erasing previous growth, revealed the structural fragility of a system that had been operating beyond its limits. The problem was not only the reduction in demand, but also the context in which it occurred (primarily on the Pacific coast): saturated terminals, rigid customs processes, and a logistics chain incapable of absorbing the volume peaks generated by the market itself . “The infrastructure couldn’t handle all that volume,” says Nolting, recalling that even with the market contraction, the port of Manzanillo faced months of operational disruptions stemming from customs processes that paralyzed the flow of goods—at least during the May-July period of last year.

This episode revealed a reality that growth had obscured: the Mexican port system was unprepared to sustain a prolonged cycle of rapid expansion. Congestion ceased to be an extraordinary event and became a structural factor, forcing shipping companies to divert vessels, reorganize itineraries, and incur additional costs that eroded the system’s efficiency . “We couldn’t keep a ship waiting for seven days, as they requested in Manzanillo; the costs are exorbitant,” explains Nolting, describing the economic impact of the operational paralysis.

If you wish to continue reading this text published in the March 2026 edition of T21 magazine, we invite you to consult the digital version  by clicking here .

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El cargo Hapag-Lloyd faces Mexico’s logistical turning point apareció primero en T21.

The international shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has reportedly made an offer to acquire ZIM . Among the German company’s shareholders are Qatar Holdings, the Qatar Investment Authority’s holding company, and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. The ZIM workers’ committee strongly opposes the deal and is calling on the government to block the transfer.

According to the Israeli news outlet Globes , the proposal is in a preliminary stage and formal negotiations between the parties have not yet begun. Furthermore, other offers have reportedly been submitted in recent days.

ZIM’s board of directors stated that, “as recently updated by the ZIM board, a strategic review of potential alternatives to maximize shareholder value, including the sale of the company, is underway. The process is progressing, and several groups have expressed interest. The board will not comment on the identity of the groups or the content of the proposals until an agreement is reached or the review process is otherwise concluded.”

Hapag-Lloyd controls 7.4% of the global container ship market , placing it fifth worldwide. In comparison, ZIM ranks ninth with 2.5%. Globes has also learned that the world’s two largest shipping companies are showing interest in the Israeli firm; namely, MSC, with 20.2% of the market, and Maersk, with 14.3%, are evaluating the move .

Major shipping companies are interested in acquiring the company after CEO Eli Glickman , who has been CEO since 2017, submitted an offer alongside shipping magnate Rami Ungar , although ZIM’s board decided to also consider other alternatives.

The possibility of a controlling sale arose after the departure of the previous majority shareholder, Idan Ofer , who sold his shares in ZIM through the company Kenon.

The company’s workers’ committee strongly opposes the operation, which represents a significant step by the German company. Hapag-Lloyd’s shareholders include Qatar Holdings (12.3%), the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) arm, and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF) (10.2%), with the Chilean company CSAV being the largest shareholder, holding approximately 30% of the shares.

ZIM, the world’s ninth largest shipping company, has a fleet of 130 container ships with a capacity to move just over 700,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), and also operates 15 car carriers or Ro-Ro vessels. 95% of the container ships in this line, founded in 1945, are chartered vessels.

For its part, Hapag-Lloyd has a fleet of 305 ships that allow it to transport 2.5 million TEUs annually.

If the German company were to absorb the Israeli one, it could reach fourth place worldwide and have a market share of 9.6 percent.

With information from  Portal Portuario , a media outlet specializing in ports and maritime transport in Chile.

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El cargo Hapag-Lloyd has reportedly made an offer to acquire ZIM apareció primero en T21.

Cosco Shipping Lines ‘ commitment to Mexico isn’t temporary, it’s strategic. This was stated by Mateo Cepeda, Senior Sales and Export Manager at Cosco Shipping Lines Mexico, when he described in an interview with T21 the deployment of maritime services the Chinese shipping company has implemented to consolidate its position in the Mexican Pacific.

“We want to express our confidence in the Mexican market , and we also want to express our strong confidence in the ports of Ensenada, Manzanillo, and Lázaro Cárdenas,” he stated.

Its reading is not minor: in a complex global environment and with practically zero growth in maritime trade in Mexico during 2025, Cosco Shipping has decided to strengthen its presence with a strategy that combines port expansion, logistics integration and digitalization .

One of the pillars of this strategy is the recent launch of the WSA8 service , which made its first call in Ensenada on September 19, after departing from Shanghai earlier that month. This new route directly connects Ensenada and Manzanillo with Qingdao, Shanghai, and Yokohama, opening a double logistics window to Asia.

“With this service, Cosco Shipping Lines would now have two dedicated services calling at the port of Ensenada , which for us has always been a very important and strategic port. We see that demand continues to be quite strong and sometimes there isn’t enough service coverage overall,” Cepeda explained. Contrary to other shipping lines that have reduced calls at this port, Cosco is doubling down on its commitment with two monthly departures on the WSA8, adjusting the frequency according to market reaction.

This expansion occurs at a time of marginal growth in port traffic in Mexico. Between January and August of this year, ports handled a total of 6,227,565 20-foot containers (TEU) in deep-sea services (imports and exports) , reflecting an annual growth rate of just 1.1%, according to statistics from the General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM) .

Specifically, in the reference period, the Pacific ports totaled four million 602 thousand 837 TEUs (+1.8%), while in the Caribbean Gulf they accumulated one million 624 thousand 728 TEUs (-0.8%).

Even so, the company maintains a long-term strategy supported by two key services: the new WSA8 and the reconfiguration of WSA5 . The latter, originally launched in 2024, expanded its rotation in 2025 to include the ports of Chancay (Peru), Guayaquil (Ecuador), and Buenaventura (Colombia), in addition to Ensenada, Manzanillo, and Lázaro Cárdenas.

“Over the last two years, we’ve strengthened our offering with two new services, the WSA5 and WSA8, increasing capacity at the three main ports on the Mexican Pacific coast,” Cepeda emphasized.

The strengthening of maritime services is accompanied by a comprehensive logistics vision. Cepeda emphasized that Cosco Shipping’s future in Mexico is not limited to ports, but is moving toward an end -to-end offering. “It is not possible to consolidate a strong product in the Mexican market if you don’t offer land service,” he stated. The company has begun developing door-to-door deliveries throughout the country, supported by land operations. This integration responds to a clear objective: to articulate more resilient supply chains that connect Mexico with any part of the world , while strengthening its role as a regional platform for cargo redistribution to Central America and the Caribbean.

In parallel, Cosco Shipping has opted to digitize key processes to gain efficiency. The company implemented the GSBN (Global Shipment Business Network) system globally , including at the ports of Ensenada, Manzanillo, and Lázaro Cárdenas. This blockchain – based platform allows all stakeholders involved in document validation to have immediate visibility, eliminating downtime and blind spots. “Previously, if the customs broker sent a document to the shipping company, the terminal wouldn’t see it. With GSBN, we achieved immediate visibility for all parties and have reduced processing times,” Cepeda explained.

This digitalization coexists with a personalized service approach: “We have global clients who demand that service be personalized rather than artificial intelligence. We have local teams in Ensenada serving clients in the Northwest in real time,” he emphasized.

Cosco Shipping’s strategy also responds to Mexico’s geography and economic structure. The country combines manufacturing, raw materials, and perishable goods, in addition to a prime location as a transshipment point. A large portion of the flow of goods destined for Central America passes through Mexican ports, in a market that, according to Cepeda, has more potential than is currently being exploited . This regional vision is complemented by its commitment to the port of Chancay, Peru, which Cosco operates directly and envisions as a hub for connecting with Chile and Ecuador, creating a Pacific corridor linking Asia with Latin America through Mexico and South America.

In terms of trade, China remains Mexico’s main maritime source , and Cosco doesn’t foresee radical changes in flows despite possible geopolitical adjustments. “The vast majority of raw materials for Mexican manufacturing come from the Far East: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam,” he indicated.

The key, he stated, will be to maintain the transit times required for just-in-time production in an environment where congestion remains a challenge. To achieve this, he highlights recent port investments: “We see new cranes in different ports. All the terminals are expanding their equipment, and this will allow for continued growth in operational capacity and efficiency in the Mexican Pacific.”

Nearly a decade after opening its own agency in Mexico, Cosco Shipping Lines has climbed its position to become one of the top five shipping lines in the main Pacific ports. Its strategy —anchored in exclusive services, logistics integration, technological innovation, and regional vision— seeks to take advantage of the structural potential of the Mexican market beyond economic cycles. “Our plan for the next five years is to continue this growth. Despite the economic uncertainty that may arise, the Mexican market has potential that must continue to be exploited,” Cepeda concluded.

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El cargo Mexico, the Pacific hub in Cosco Shipping’s vision apareció primero en T21.

CICE Group , a port and logistics services provider, received the “Port Financing of the Year” award for the financing of its Semi-Specialized Container and Project Cargo Terminal, located in the North Bay of the port of Veracruz.

The recognition, granted by LatinFinance , a specialized media outlet in banking, investment and infrastructure in Latin America, highlights that the financing operation for 210 million dollars (mdd) represents a precedent for the Mexican port sector, being the first banking transaction aimed at the construction, equipment and operation of a greenfield port terminal (developed from its initial stage in a new area of ​​the port area).

With this investment, Grupo CICE reaffirmed its commitment to the country’s economic and logistical development , consolidating the port of Veracruz as a strategic hub for Mexican foreign trade, while strengthening Mexico’s position on the global stage through comprehensive and sustainable solutions that drive connectivity and efficiency in supply chains .

“LatinFinance’s recognition of the Bahía Norte project reflects Grupo CICE’s strength, vision, and leadership in the transformation of the national port system and its role in strengthening the country’s foreign trade,” Grupo CICE emphasized in a statement.

According to the company, the financing was structured  without sovereign backing or the participation of multilateral organizations; that is, it did not have government guarantees or the support of international financial institutions .

“The financial scheme, led by  Banco del Bajío  as the agent bank and with the participation of  Banorte , Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior (Bancomext) , Ve por Más (BX+) ,  Monex and Multiva , was aimed at strengthening the confidence of lenders through instruments such as trusts, corporate guarantees and the monetization of future flows. Additionally, FIRA contributed a long-term fixed-rate tranche, helping to mitigate risks and balance the project’s financial structure,” he explained.

The transaction combined revenue from Grupo CICE’s established activities with projected future cash flows from the new terminal, enabling a blended brownfield-greenfield financing structure that integrates operating assets with new investments under development.

“The financial structuring was handled by  Latam Capital Advisors  as the structuring agent, while  Santamarina y Steta  served as legal advisor to Grupo CICE, and  CMS Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow served as legal advisor to the participating credit institutions,” the firm explained.

It is worth remembering that the CICE Bahía Norte Terminal began operations in April 2025 and today it is consolidated as one of the most modern port infrastructures in the country, receiving the main shipping lines at a global level , serving container services under a regular import and export scheme, including multimodal yards, warehouses, cold storage rooms and a two thousand meter railway connection, designed to reach a dynamic capacity of up to 500 thousand 20-foot containers (TEU) per year.

(Main photo taken from https://home.grupocice.com/ ) .

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El cargo CICE Group recognized with the “Port Financing of the Year” award apareció primero en T21.

Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced Friday that it will implement changes to its Asia-North America service beginning in October 2025. It also said it will discontinue PS5 service and review existing PS4, PS6, FP2, and EC2 services.

The details are as follows:

PS5 (Pacific South Loop 5) will be temporarily suspended until further notice:

Port rotation: Qingdao – Ningbo – Long Beach – Oakland – Kobe – Qingdao.

Last departure: NYK Constellation V0105E/W, ETA Qingdao, September 1, 2025.

Port rotation: Xiamen – Yantian – Kaohsiung – Keelung – Ningbo (new) – Los Angeles – Oakland – Keelung – Kaohsiung – Xiamen – Yantian.

First sailing: YM Uniform V.0244E/W ETA Yantian, October 5, 2025.

Alternatively, Xiamen cargo can be routed on the PS7 service.

PS6 (Pacific South Loop 6) will add Qingdao to its rotation:

Port rotation: Qingdao (new) – Ningbo – Shanghai – Kwangyang – Pusan ​​​- Long Beach – Oakland – Pusan ​​​​– Kwangyang – Incheon – Qingdao (new).

First voyage: HMM Topaz V.0008E/W, ETA Qingdao, 27 September 2025.

FP2 (Far East Pacific North Loop 2) will add Pusan ​​to its rotation:

Port rotation: Singapore – Laem Chabang – Cai Mep – Haiphong – Yantian – Pusan ​​​​(new) – Vancouver – Tacoma – Tokyo – Kobe – Shanghai – Ningbo – Yantian – Singapore.

First departure: ONE Cygnus V.0022E/W, estimated time of arrival: Singapore, September 29, 2025

EC2 (US East Coast Loop 2) will add Norfolk to its rotation:

Port rotation: Xiamen – Yantian – Ningbo – Shanghai – Pusan ​​​​- Manzanillo – Savannah – Charleston – Norfolk (new) – Manzanillo – Pusan ​​​​– Xiamen.

First departure: ONE Blue Jay V.0039E/W, estimated time of arrival: Xiamen, October 7, 2025.

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El cargo ONE announces Premier Alliance transpacific service upgrade apareció primero en T21.

Shipping lines have become slightly more punctual with their schedules. The February Global Liner Performance (GLP) report from supply chain consulting firm Sea-Intelligence showed a 3.6 percentage point (pp) month-over-month improvement in overall schedule reliability, reaching 54.9% , the highest level since May 2024.

On a year-on-year basis, the score for the second month of this year was 1.8 percentage points higher.

The report indicated that Maersk was the most reliable airline among the top 13 in February 2025, with a schedule reliability of 60.2 percent, followed by MSC at 57.4 percent and Hapag-Lloyd at 57.3 percent.

“Two new carrier alliances, Gemini Cooperation and Premier Alliance, were launched in February 2025, while 2M and THE Alliance will be gradually dismantled in the coming months. Ocean Alliance will continue to operate as before. While MSC is not an alliance, its sole participation in east-west trades and the vastness of its operating network in both directions make it essential to consider it in an alliance context,” according to the Sea-Intelligence report.

In line with this context, Gemini Cooperation recorded a schedule reliability of 94.0% at home ports in February 2025 , followed by MSC with 79.6% and Premier Alliance with 60.4%. Ocean Alliance recorded a schedule reliability of 54.1%, while THE Alliance and 2M achieved 45.3% and 44.2%, respectively.

“It’s worth noting that the new alliances are in the initial phase of network deployment, and their full rollout won’t be completed until July 2025, at which point it will be possible to truly assess their performance. However, it’s interesting to observe their performance in initial arrivals at ports of origin,” the Sea-Intelligence report stated.

APM Terminals Lázaro Cárdenas and trust in Gemini Cooperation

In the wake of the first month of operation (February) of the Gemini Cooperation alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, the APM Terminals port terminal in the port of Lázaro Cárdenas , in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, has launched a “simultaneous transshipment connection,” the only one of its kind in the world.

This is a double transshipment maneuver of the TP 11 and TP 15 services of Gemini Cooperation in which an average of two thousand 500 20-foot containers (TEU) in total are unloaded at the terminal every weekend so that half of them board the other ship that will take them to their final destination, after having set sail from different ports in Asia (mainly China) to reach other points in America.

“The more predictable we are about shipping lines’ itineraries, the better we as terminals can prepare to receive ships, service them as quickly as possible, plan resources, and more,” said Beatriz Yera, general manager of APM Terminals in Mexico, in an interview with T21.

According to the board, this new service took months of preparation and so far has gone according to plan .

The promoters of the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, the second busiest commercial port on Mexico’s Pacific coast, seek to transform it into a regional maritime hub where goods can converge and from there be distributed to other points in the Americas, either by sea or land.

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El cargo Shipping line schedule reliability in February is the best in 9 months apareció primero en T21.

The German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd reported on Wednesday that it concluded the first quarter of 2024 with a Group EBITDA of $942 million (mdd). Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the Group’s EBIT decreased to $396 million and the profit to $325 million.

In the shipping line segment, transport volumes for the first quarter of 2024 increased by 6.8% to three million TEUs (20-foot containers), compared to 2.8 million TEUs in the same period a year earlier.

Transport expenses were comparable to the same quarter of the previous year at $3.3 billion.

Although costs increased significantly due to ship diversion around the Cape of Good Hope, these were largely offset by active cost management. Revenues decreased to $4.6 billion mainly due to a lower average freight rate of $1,359/TEU.

Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, EBITDA decreased to $906 million and EBIT to $378 million.

In the Terminals and Infrastructure segment, an EBITDA of $35 million and an EBIT of $18 million were achieved in the first quarter of 2024. This new segment was only created in the second half of 2023 and is currently in the establishment process. For this reason, the figures for the first quarter of 2024 are only comparable to the figures for the previous year to a limited extent.

“Although our results are significantly below the exceptionally strong figures of the previous year due to the normalization of supply chains, we are pleased to have started the new year well. Rates stabilized in the first quarter due to ship diversion around the Cape of Good Hope and increased demand for capacity. The numerous new ships that have been and will be delivered in the industry in 2024 have been crucial in keeping supply chains running without too many interruptions. Going forward, we must maintain strict control over our costs and continue the implementation of our Strategy 2030, with a primary focus on our decarbonization initiatives and our promise to be the undisputed number one in quality for our customers,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd AG.

In view of the good commercial performance in the first quarter of 2024, the Executive Board has revised its forecast for the current fiscal year, which was published on March 14, 2024. Group EBITDA is now expected to be in the range of $2.2 to $3.3 billion and Group EBIT in the range of $0 to $1.1 billion. It is still assumed that a large part of the projected result will be generated in the first half of the year. Given the highly volatile development of freight rates and the major geopolitical challenges, this forecast remains subject to a high degree of uncertainty.

With information from Portal Portuario, a media outlet specialized in ports and maritime transport in Chile.

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El cargo Hapag-Lloyd Closes First Quarter with EBITDA of $942 Million apareció primero en T21.