Mexico plays catchup Mexico’s maritime infrastructure needs help

The Mexican port of Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, one that needs improve- ment in port infrastructure.

The need for Mexico to improve its maritime infrastructure in the short term was pinpointed by speakers at the Seminar of the 25th Anniversary of the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents (AMANAC) on the panel entitled “Competitiveness in the Ports of the Region. Problems and Infrastructure Development.”

In 2011, Mexican exports amounted to $349,679 million and  imports totaled $350,843 million

During the ceremony, the president of the AMANAC, Jose Cristian Bennett Lira acknowledged that Mexico is rapidly evolving a strategy because of its geographical location and trade agreements with major economic ports in the world.

The demands on Mexico raise its competitiveness through the establishment of transport chains and logistics networks that respond to the growth of trade relations of the country.

He said that in 2011, Mexican exports amounted to $349,679 million and imports totaled $350,843 million. In that regard, he stressed that the participation of maritime transport in Mexico amounts to 29%, with 28.6% in exports and 30.1 in imports.

Of the total of such exports, he added, 79.7% is from manufacturing, 16.1% oil and 3.0% agriculture.

He said that in Mexico there is an emerging intermodal infrastructure with just 18 rail terminals and many cargo port terminals are being promised despite often being inadequate to the growing demand for increased capacity and service quality.

Bennett Lira said the country has important ports on the Atlantic and Pacific that may be sufficient to support the growth of Mexican foreign trade “if we take into account that the country has routes to Asia, South America, Central America, Canada, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean”.