Mexico’s port sector is in a dynamic stage in its development. Mexican ports must improve efficiency and expand capacity to respond to the increasing demands generated by international trade.

      Mexico’s Gulf Coast ports face a challenge to respond to the demand generated by NAFTA trade and to compete in price and delivery time with the truck transportation industry. All Mexican ports on the Gulf Coast have projects to expand facilities, and to increase efficiency in the next 5-10 years.

      Mexico has 7 commercial ports on the Gulf coast:

      •Altamira, Tamaulipas

      •Tampico, Tamaulipas

      •Tuxpan, Veracruz

      •Veracruz, Veracruz

      •Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz

      •Dos Bocas, Tabasco

      •Progreso, Yucatán

      All of these ports handle cargo, although some focus mainly on domestic intra-port movement. Public institutions called Integral Port Administration (APIs) administer all these ports. APIs report to the General Coordination of Ports of the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT).

            Mexican ports have faced a dramatic increase in cargo movement (containerized cargo in particular) since the enactment of NAFTA in 1994. There has also been an exponential increase of imports from Asian countries. The increase in traffic coupled with the privatization of railroads in 1998, which brought the participation of international railroad corporations, is changing the profile of the transportation and logistics sector in Mexico. It also opened the sectors to companies with capital to invest in infrastructure and equipment...

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