Mexican ports return to growth

Container volumes at Mexican ports drop 9.1% in 2020

 

Mexico’s port activity returned to growth in the first four months of 2021 after cargo volumes decreased during various quarters in 2020 because of the pandemic.

During the first four-months of this year, Mexican ports handled 2.39 million TEU, an 11.7% increase compared to 2.14 million TEU between January and April 2020, according to figures from the Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT).

Pacific ports moved 1.65 million TEU, which means an increase of 14.9% compared to 1.44 million TEU of the same inter-annual cycle. All ports saw volumes grow apart from Puerto Chiapas, which fell 11.2%.

Manzanillo handled 1.11 million TEU (+18.5%); Lazaro Cardenas 398,264 TEU (+8.6%); Ensenada 117,369 TEU (+8.8%); Mazatlan 14,416 TEU (+9.2%); Guaymas 6,233 TEU (+54%); and, Salina Cruz 1,074 TEU (+33%).

Ports in the Gulf of Mexico moved 729,210 TEU, an increase of 4.9% if compared to 695,009 of the first four months of 2020, according to SCT. Thus, Veracruz handled 355,956 TEU (+0.8%); Altamira 283,048 TEU (+3.7%); Progreso 55,804 TEU (+3.5%); Tuxpan 18,776 TEU (+48.5%); and, Tampico with 8,476 TEU (+70.3%).

Export grew by 12.2% to 1.2 million TEU compared to 1.06 million TEU previously; while imports increase 11.1% to 1.19 million TEU.