Two weeks of complications have passed at the port of Manzanillo, motivated by protests by customs personnel and civilian foreign trade officials , who argue that they are suffering from poor working conditions and unjustified dismissals since the arrival (April 15) of Captain Rodolfo Torres Chávez as head of the Manzanillo customs office.
This situation has led to congestion in all spaces at the Port of Manzanillo , the most important in the National Port System, both in terms of containers and total tons handled.
Based on data from the port facility, four thousand units carry out loading and unloading activities every day , so each day of delay exponentially affects the impact on trucking units.
Faced with this situation, last Saturday Miguel Ángel Martínez, president of the National Chamber of Cargo Transportation (Canacar) , expressed through his X account: “we are on the verge of bankruptcy, due to these paralyzed days, we have already defaulted on payments to leasing companies, insurers, payments to suppliers and even payments to our staff.”
The president of the organization expressed concern about the situation being faced, especially in a logistics hub such as the port of Manzanillo .
“Thousands of containers and cargo are being held up and experiencing critical delays; yards are completely overwhelmed, and customs inspections often exceed 72 hours per unit, without the minimum care and health conditions for our operators,” said the transport entrepreneur.
Based on statistics from the Ministry of the Navy (Semar) regarding Mexican ports, in the accumulated period January – April 2025, a total of one million 291 thousand 720 containers (TEU) have been operated in the port of Manzanillo , this is a meager growth of just 1.5% compared to the same period in 2024 , and we will have to wait for the results of May with these situations that have been faced.
“From Canacar, we strongly and firmly call on federal, customs, port, and state authorities to immediately establish a crisis committee and implement immediate, effective, and coordinated solutions to restore the flow of logistics in Manzanillo,” stated Miguel Ángel Martínez.
The businessman who heads the transportation union emphasized that the collapse facing this port cannot be allowed. “The country’s economic development demands efficient infrastructure, streamlined processes, and decent conditions for those who transport goods to Mexico: us truck drivers,” he said.
As T21 reported, various transport groups called for a halt to the shipment of import vehicles to the southern area of the port of Manzanillo this Monday, June 2, from midnight to 7:00 p.m. , as a measure to ease congestion in the area.
Among the organizations promoting this measure are the Manzanillo Freight Transport Union (UTCM) , the Manzanillo Local Transport Business Union , the National Confederation of Mexican Transporters (Conatram) , and Canacar.
Comment and follow us on X: @GrupoT21
