Gateway at a Glance — MEXICO

Overview

The Mexican transportation sector is in a dynamic stage of development. Mexico’s Pacific Coast ports are interested in creating cost-effective alternatives to bypass saturated U.S. West Coast ports, and Mexico’s Gulf Coast ports are responding to rising demand generated by NAFTA trade.

In the 1990s, port restructuring led to a major transformation of the Mexican Port system. The arrival of private participation brought with it much needed capital investment. Modernization of infrastructure and equipment at the country’s main ports led to considerable improvements in both capacity and efficiency.
However, despite rapid expansion and improved operational standards, a lack of coordination at the sea-land interface has plagued the overall efficiency and competitiveness of Mexico’s ports.

Steady growth in Mexican foreign trade and an increase in container traffic arriving at Mexican ports with final destinations in the U.S. and Canada have prompted a response from the government to improve overall efficiency and cargo security.

Mexico’s National Infrastructure Program (NIP)

In July of 2007, President Felipe Calderon unveiled Mexico’s latest National Infrastructure Program, which will play a vital role in shaping the expansion and improvement of Mexico’s transportation infrastructure. The National Infrastructure Program envisions a sharp increase in both public and private investment in transportation infrastructure.
Here is a broad look a the NIP, it’s goals and future initatives.

Overall Look at NIP

• Five-year program (2007-2012)
  
• $40 billion in government funding for transportation infrastructure projects
  
• Government to actively promote private investment
  
• Seek to establish public/private partnerships
  
• Provide legal certainty for projects with private participation
  
• Eliminate excess regulation for infrastructure investment
  
• Improve the coverage, quality, and competitiveness of Mexico’s infrastructure
  
• Turn Mexico into a highly
  competitive logistics platform
  

Port Sector

Expand Pacific and Gulf Coast Ports
Build 5 new ports and modernize 22
Increase container capacity from 4 to 7 million TEUs
Develop ports as part of an integrated multimodal system
Improve security screening
technologies and efficiency

Highway Sector

Build or modernize 17,600 km of highways and rural roads
Improve the maintenance of highway infrastructure
Increase percentage of roads meeting international quality standards from 72% to 90%

Railroad Sector

Build 1,418 km of new rail networks
Develop multimodal corridors
Make moving cargo more efficient in conjunction with ports
Resolve railway interconnection problems
Build overpasses, underpasses, signage, and border crossings

Airport Sector

Build three new airports and expand another 31
Increase air cargo transport
capacity by 50%

On the Horizon

New Port at Punta Colonet. A new $5 billion mega port has been proposed for a barren and remote natural deepwater harbor 275 miles south of Los Angeles, in the Mexican state of North Baja near Punta Colonet. The new port would focus on moving Asian manufactured goods into the U.S.

Port of Salina Cruz � Coatzacoalcos. The Mexican Government is promoting a project to build an intermodal corridor between the ports of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, on the Pacific coast and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, on the Gulf coast. The intention is to offer an alternative for inter-oceanic traffic now using the Panama Canal.

Mexico now has a second terminal, just south of the U.S.-Mexico border near the city of Ensenada, which will be fully operational in 2009. In 2012 Mexico’s third LNG terminal is planned to begin operating at Manzanillo.

Mexican Port Contact Info:

Pacific Coast Ports

Port of Lazaro Cardenas
Michoacán, Mexico
www.apilac.com.mx

Port of Ensenada
Baja California, México
www.puertoensenada.com.mx

Port of Manzanillo
Colima, México
www.puerto-de-manzanillo.com.mx

Port of Mazatlan
Sinaloa, México
www.apimazatlan.com.mx

Port of Salina Cruz
Oaxaca, México
www.puerto-de-salinacruz.com.mx

Atlantic Coast Ports

Port of Veracruz
Veracruz, México
www.apiver.com

Port of Altamira
Tamaulipas, México
www.puertoaltamira.com.mx

Port of Progreso
Yucatán, México
www.puertosyucatan.com

Port of Tampico
Tamaulipas, México
www.puertodetampico.com.mx

Port of Coatzacoalcos
Veracruz, México
www.apicoatza.com