Mexico’s largest container port slowly reopens after worker strike 

Mexico’s largest container port resumed some operations Monday after a four-day strike by customs workers led to blockades, delays and logistics disruptions.

Revenue losses at the Port of Manzanillo due to the strike between May 12 and last Thursday are estimated to total $150 million, officials said.

Guillermo del Río, president of the Western Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry Association, said although some drayage trucks began moving containers at the port on Monday, it will take two to three weeks to resume normal operations.

“A large amount of uncleared material has accumulated there, and today we’re seeing the railroads starting to reopen,” del Río said during a news conference, according to Mural. “Bulk cargo is starting to leave, and what remained in the port is starting to leave. New shipments haven’t even started to be scheduled yet. We’re going to be pushing for this to return to normal as soon as possible. We’re already looking to recruit more personnel to help clear it … . [O]bviously, it will have a significant impact on government revenue collection, all logistics providers, and the companies that operate in the port.”

The Port of Manzanillo, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, is one of the main gateways for international trade in the country. 

The port handles about 4,000 truck movements daily and processed nearly 4 million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2024.

The strike by workers from the Manzanillo Port Customs Office began May 12 and included accusations of workplace harassment, along with demands for better working conditions, more personnel and extended customs hours.

Some reports indicate the customs workers discussed their demands with federal officials and decided to leave on their own Thursday.

However, the Manzanillo Freight Transport Union alleged that federal authorities stepped in Thursday night to remove and arrest some of the striking customs workers to allow the port to resume activities.

On Friday, authorities dismissed Adm. Mario Alberto Gasque Peña as head of the Manzanillo National Port System Administration after a meeting with the port’s board of directors. He was replaced by Adm. Guillermo Mejía George.

According to a statement from Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy, the “Board of Directors met this Friday, May 16, and made this decision as part of the ongoing staff rotation process at the institutions affiliated with the Navy.”

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