Los Puertos Son Las Puertas: Ports of Mexico

At present, Mexico has a large port system composed of 108 ports and terminals distributed along its 9, 330 km coastline, with a total berth length of 110 km. 

They are located on the Pacific coast and on the Mexican Gulf and the Caribbean, giving Mexico a great strategic position for a dynamic maritime commerce. The port system handles 85% of total international trade, and more than seven million passengers. The main cargo types are oil and its derivatives, with a share of 62%, followed by mineral ores which amounts 23% of the total handled by Mexican ports. The following ports belong to the main and busiest ports of Mexico:


Picture
The Port of Lázaro Cárdenas is the only port in Mexico with 18.00 meters deep in its channel of access and 16.50 meters deep in the principal turning basin. Also, it is the only protected port that can receive vessels of up to 165 thousand tons of displacement. Recently, the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas was awarded with the International Pacific Quality Award 2009, a recognition that distinguishes the exemplary companies in terms of effectiveness in world-wide quality, during the 15th Conference of Asia Pacific Quality Organization (APQO).


Picture
Port of Dos Bocas. This port, which is located in the so-called region of Grijalva in the town of Paraiso, Tabasco, is very strategic with excellent communication ways. Its area of influence extends to the Mexican states of Tabasco, Campeche, Chiapas, Veracruz and the north of Central America region. 

85 percent ofthe petroleum industry of the country is concentrated in this area. Likewise, its area of influence are developing agribusiness activities, which require all kinds of supplies for its productive process, from where important volumes of production are obtained, which are commercialized in the national and international market. 

The principal products produced in the area of influence of the Port of Dos Bocas comprise of the following: Fluids: Diesel, petroleum, oils; Mineral: Cement, fertilizing; Agricultural: Corn, wheat, soy, cocoa; Containerized cargo: Tropical fruits, seafood, perishable, polyurethane; General cargo: Tubing, wood, steel, rod, valves, petroleum equipment; Others: Vehicles.


Picture
Port of Manzanillo. This port is the citadel for the pacific of Mexico mainly because of its excellent geographical location as the gateway to the Pacific Asian countries, likewise for the many years of its experience in handling cargo. Due to its major infrastructure, it became the hub and distribution center in west and central Mexico for the main cities, thus makes Manzanillo, Colima a strategic area as axis of growth in businesses and industry of Mexico.

Discovered in the 1500s by Hernan Cortes‘ minions, this area was designated as a ship building site (the wood from the manzanillo tree was used to build ships), and an official departure point for vital expeditions. In 1869, Manzanillo opened the first telegraph office on the Pacific coast, a part of its development as a very important seaport. By 1890, train service arrived and made coast to coast travel more convenient. This improvement boosted the commercial importance of the port of Manzanillo, making it the only train/port link on the Pacific. As the largest port in western Mexico, Manzanillo can admit ships of more than 30,000 tons.


Picture
Port of Veracruz. This port has been a witness to various historic moments of Mexico. In the time of the Spanish conquest, it became the port of entry to the new world when Hernán Cortés arrived in the 16th century. In the Colonial era, Veracruz was a crucial point for the exchange of communication and commerce because of its strategic location and was also recognized for its agriculture, livestock and textile industry wealth. In 1864, Archduke Maximilian of Hapsburg and Empress Carlota arrived in Veracruz to establish the Second Empire. In 1900, a strike by textile workers took place in Veracruz, which was the movement that led to the Mexican Revolution. In 1911, Gen. Porfirio Díaz, a former president of Mexico which was somewhat considered a dictator, fled the country through this port after being overthrown by the revolutionary movement. The merchandise transferred at this port is for domestic use and exports to and from Florida, Europe and the north of Africa.


Picture
Port of Tampico. Located on the banks of Pánuco River in eastcentral Mexico, Tampico is one of the major ports in the Mexican east coast which serve as a point of inflow and outflow for mining and petrochemical products, as well as steel, wood and many other industrial products. At present, the Port of Tampico is the one with the highest activity rate with two public terminals, six private terminals, 10 patios for the construction of marine oil rigs and 2,147 meters of dock. It occupies third place in handling loads of general and mineral bulk, forth in contained loads and fifth in agricultural bulk. The Port of Tampico is an important port of entry for international commerce in industrial, agricultural and mineral exchange mainly because of its excellent railways and highways with the country‘s main industrial corridors and marine links with the world. The port‘s most important international connections are with Japan, Russia, Canada, United States, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Brazil, England, Cuba, Bahamas, Panama, Chile and Colombia.


Sources: www.explorandomexico.com, www.sparks-mexico.com, www.galvan.com,
www.mexconnect.com, www.gomanzanillo.com, www.puertomanzanillo.com.mx,
www.puertodeveracruz.com.mx, www.puertodetampico.com.mx, www.puertodosbocas.mx,
www.puertolazarocardenas.com.mx, ―Efficiency Gains from Port Reform and the Potential
Yardstick Competition: Lessons from Mexico –info.worldbank.org,
Images: www.planetware.com, www.maerskline.com, www.tomzap.com