Mexico’s largest port struggling with delays, container backlogs

Long delays and staff shortages are still affecting operations at Mexico’s Port of Manzanillo, about a week after the port resumed operations following a strike by customs workers.

Miguel Angel Martinez, president of Mexico’s National Chamber of Freight Transport (Canacar), said some transporters are close to bankruptcy due to an operational crisis at Manzanillo’s customs department.

The strike at the Port of Manzanillo, which began May 12 and ended May 15, included accusations of workplace harassment, along with demands for better working conditions, more personnel and extended customs hours. 

The port, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, resumed full operations on May 21, according to the Mexican navy, which handles customs clearance at all ports of entry.

“Thousands of containers and cargo are being held up and experiencing critical delays; yards are completely overwhelmed, and customs inspections often exceed 72 hours per unit, without adequate care and sanitation for our operators,” Martinez posted on X on Saturday.

In addition to being president of Canacar, Martinez is CEO of Grupo Marva, a carrier with 1,600 trucks and 13 terminals around Mexico, including a facility at the Port of Manzanillo.

“[Trucking companies are] on the brink of bankruptcy, as a result of these days of paralysis. We’ve already defaulted on payments to leasing companies, insurance companies, suppliers, and even our staff,” Martinez said.

Mexico’s Association of Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industries Occident said the strike and delays could cost the Port of Manzanillo $150 million in lost revenue, and operations could take up to five weeks to normalize, according to El Economista.

The Port of Manzanillo is the country’s largest and one of the main gateways for international trade in Mexico, handling about 45% of the containers that arrive from ocean carriers.

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

Ernesto Hernandez Jr., a Brownsville, Texas-based customs broker, said some containers are being delayed by more than seven days at the Port of Manzanillo.

“The wait times are so long that even drayage truck drivers have required medical assistance due to things like heat strokes for waiting in their truck for too long,” Hernandez posted Thursday on LinkedIn.

Martinez urged the federal government to find a solution immediately.

“The impact is not minor: the economic losses are in the multimillions and are directly impacting the efficiency of supply chains throughout the country, with severe consequences for industry, commerce, and the end consumer,” Martinez said. “We strongly and firmly call on federal, customs, port, and state authorities to immediately establish a crisis committee and implement immediate, effective, and coordinated solutions to restore logistics flow in Manzanillo.”

Mexico’s federal government has not officially responded to Canacar’s request.

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