Mexico's Pacific Ports Are Booming – But Can They Keep Up With Your Cargo?

Here's a number worth chewing on: Mexico's Pacific ports handled 4.3 million TEUs in the first seven months of 2026. That's an 8.1% jump over last year, and it accounts for the lion's share of the country's overall container growth.

The growth isn't slowing down. Manzanillo, the country's biggest container gateway, moved 2,455,953 TEUs through July – up 11.7%. Lázaro Cárdenas grew 6% to 1.34 million TEUs over the same stretch. At the terminal level, the numbers get even spicier: Contecon's Manzanillo facility saw volumes climb 20.1% to over a million TEUs, while APM Terminals' Lázaro Cárdenas operation posted a 35% jump in the first half alone.

Port operators aren't sitting on their hands. Contecon just got approval to handle vessels drawing up to 15.5 metres – making it the only terminal on Mexico's Pacific coast cleared for ultra-large container ships of up to 23,000 TEUs. The terminal also took delivery of six super post-Panamax cranes in January.

Down the coast, APM Terminals is pouring money into Lázaro Cárdenas. Phase II added 65 hectares and doubled capacity to 2.2 million TEUs. Phase III – a US$350 million investment – will extend the dock by another 450 metres, bringing total berthing frontage to 1,200 metres. Six electric cranes just arrived to support the expansion.

Hutchison Ports TIMSA is also getting in on the action, investing US$40 million in a new 15,000-TEU off-dock yard near Manzanillo to ease pressure on the main terminal footprint.

All this growth is creating a bottleneck that no amount of crane-buying can fix overnight: customs and access roads.

In late July, Manzanillo operations were paralysed after heavy rain caused a power failure that knocked out customs systems. Thousands of trucks backed up on the approach roads. Traders at Lázaro Cárdenas have complained that inspections left some cargo waiting for weeks.

The Mexico Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology has warned that delays at Manzanillo are pushing logistics costs up by as much as 20%. Customs clearance at strategic facilities like Manzanillo is currently taking three to seven days due to overload and stricter inspection criteria.

The nearshoring boom is real, and it's structural. Carriers know it. MSC just launched its Sierra service connecting Qingdao, Tianjin, and Busan with Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas. Maersk revised its AC1 and AC2 services to link Asia with Mexico's Pacific gateways more directly.

More direct services mean more options for shippers moving goods between Asia and North America. But they also mean more cargo flowing into ports that are already stretched. When customs systems go down or inspection queues stretch into weeks, the ripple effects hit everyone – storage charges, demurrage fees, trucks sitting idle, inventory plans thrown out the window.

This is exactly where having a logistics partner with boots on the ground makes the difference.

At Xiamen AE Global, we've been moving freight through China's major ports since 2018. We're a government-licensed company with IATA, FIATA, FMC, and NVOCC credentials – which means when a gateway like Manzanillo hits a customs snag or a road congestion crisis, we're not reading about it in the news and hoping for the best.

We work with over 100 overseas agents worldwide. When delays hit Mexico's Pacific coast, we're already talking to our partners on the ground about alternative routings, transloading options, and how to keep your cargo moving. When a new service like MSC's Sierra launches, we know about it – and we factor it into your routing strategy before it becomes a bottleneck.

We've invested heavily in real-time visibility tools that give our clients actual transparency into their shipments. When customs clearance in Manzanillo stretches from three days to seven, you don't find out when your container is already sitting in a yard. We alert you immediately and present options.

Based in Xiamen – one of Asia's busiest port cities – we combine the global reach of an IATA and FIATA-approved forwarder with the local knowledge of a partner who's been shipping all kinds of goods for over a decade. We've moved over 12,000 TEUs in a single year with a 98.6% on-time delivery rate for our SME clients.

Mexico's Pacific ports are growing fast, and they're investing to keep up. But growth comes with growing pains – customs delays, road congestion, and infrastructure that's still catching up to demand.

At Xiamen AE Global, we don't just move boxes. We help our clients navigate the complexity of a market that's booming but not always smooth. Whether that's finding an alternative routing when Manzanillo gets backed up, securing space on a new Asia-Mexico service, or simply making sure your cargo gets where it needs to go without paying more than you should.

Because when a port is racing to keep up with container growth, you don't need a spectator. You need a partner who knows how to keep your cargo moving.

Ready to work with a logistics partner who understands the Mexico trade? Contact Xiamen AE Global today – and let's keep your supply chain moving, no matter what comes next.