In Mexico, the ports of Manzanillo, in Colima, and Lázaro Cárdenas, in Michoacán, are the most important for foreign trade due to their characteristics and capacity. Some relevant factors in the current landscape for both are:

Manzanillo

Performance: From January to March 2025, its various terminals recorded a cumulative total cargo movement of 979, 452 (*), a record figure for the first quarter of the year, representing a 2.2% increase in container movement compared to the same period in 2024.

Exports accounted for 43% of total cargo (6.4% more than the previous year) and imports accounted for 42% (3.6% more than the previous year). Containerized cargo at the port represented 75% of total commercial cargo during the period.

Improvement projects: Since the port handles nearly 42% of all containerized cargo in Mexico, an expansion project was recently launched that will increase its capacity by more than 40% and involves an investment of close to $300 million. The work is expected to be completed in 2026.

Distinctive feature: in 2023, Manzanillo consolidated its position as the main port on the Pacific coast of Latin America, ranking third overall in Latin America as a whole in terms of cargo volume.

Lázaro Cárdenas

Performance: from January to May of this year, it handled 1,028, 156 TEUs, representing a 13% increase compared to the same period in 2024. During this same period, 396 container ships arrived at the port, and of the total containerized cargo handled at the port, 30% corresponded to imports, 32% to exports, and 38% to transshipment cargo.

Improvement projects: as part of its expansion plans, investments of more than $542million are being made in the construction of specialized terminals.

Distinctive feature: it has a depth of 18 meters in its access channel and 16.50 meters in the main dock. It is the only seaport in Mexico with these figures and can receive ships of up to 165,000 tons displacement.

The capacity of both ports and their privileged location on the Mexican Pacific coast make them stand out among others in the country and the world. However, both present challenges and areas of improvement.

One of these is congestion and a lack of infrastructure to operate properly. In the case of Manzanillo, between 2021 and 2024, imports grew by 70%, exceeding the capacity of the terminal, customs, and the personnel carrying out logistics operations.

Given these scenarios, the private sector and authorities are already working together to make the most of the capacity and location of Mexican ports. An example of this is the public-private investment of 296 000 million pesos to modernize nine ports in the country.

ED Forwarding, a member of the PSA Group, is up to the current requirements of foreign trade, as its experience enables it to take advantage of the excellent location of Mexican ports and offer its customers the best advice and logistics planning to meet their business needs.