The entry and exit of trucking vehicles to the port of Manzanillo remains halted. The reason is no longer the protesters, but rather a lack of personnel at customs , the second largest tax collection center in Mexico.
Chaos continued this weekend at Mexico’s main Pacific commercial port, following protests last week by civilian workers at the Manzanillo customs office, which is run by the Navy , which twice blocked access to the port, seriously disrupting the flow of cargo .
Contecon Manzanillo , one of the main operators of specialized container terminals in the port, issued a statement yesterday afternoon, Sunday, May 18, urging its customers not to ship export or import units until further notice, to avoid further logistical disruptions.
“Entrance and exit to the northern port are suspended,” the statement reads.
According to official data, just over four thousand trucking units enter the port of Manzanillo daily to pick up or unload cargo.
For its part, the National Port System Administration (Asipona) Manzanillo released a statement on Saturday, May 17, explaining that, during the period following the demonstrations, “operational decisions related to the entry, exit, and handling of merchandise in the Fiscal Precinct of the Port of Manzanillo (…) are the responsibility of the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) in coordination with the Manzanillo Customs Office, in accordance with its powers in matters of customs control.”
There, he explained that the provisions regarding the temporary restriction on the entry of vehicles into the port area, and the guidelines for the removal of merchandise, the determination of fiscal routes, and confinement, “are issued by the Manzanillo Customs Office based on its technical and legal evaluations . “
Customs employees, mostly civilian foreign trade officers, closed access to the port on up to two occasions last week, due to alleged poor conditions and unjustified dismissals since the arrival (April 15) of Captain Rodolfo Torres Chávez as head of the Manzanillo customs office.
However, a report in the newspaper Milenio has highlighted a different situation. The article, published last Saturday, mentions that federal authorities have uncovered a corruption network at the port of Manzanillo that financed last week’s blockade, following the dismissal of officials investigated for facilitating the entry of illegal goods.
It is also mentioned that customs agents are also being investigated for their alleged involvement in the blockades.
Late last week, the Association of Customs Agents of the Port of Manzanillo (AAAPUMAC) issued a statement distancing itself from any connection to the partial work stoppage of customs workers.
“(…) Customs Agents have no involvement or influence in this movement, which directly affects our operations as well as those of the importing and exporting community, as well as other members of the logistics chain who rely on the port of Manzanillo as a strategic hub for our country’s foreign trade.”
According to some social media posts, ANAM has reportedly sent personnel from other customs offices to join the Manzanillo customs office in the coming days to resume inspections of merchandise.
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