Altamira Port Turns 35

On June 1, 1985, the Altamira Port was inaugurated during Miguel de la Madrid’s administration. The port had a total 250m of waterfront and 5ha of yards that were to be used as storage space. During that time, Mexico was trying to recover from what was then the country’s worst economic crisis. The port was situated in a very privileged position: the city of Altamira on the shores of the Panuco River, which is located very close to the river’s entryways into the Gulf of Mexico and next to the border between the states of Tamaulipas and Veracruz. Altamira is part of one of the most economically active regions in the country, as part of the major metropolitan area of Tampico. This area serves as a very busy nexus point of two states and three major cities. It is also near Mexico’s oldest refinery, originally built in 1914. While Altamira was not close to the country’s upstream hubs in the Campeche Basin, the refinery did make it an ideal connection between Mexico’s oil production and its potential market in the US side of the Gulf of Mexico. To read our 2018 interview with former API Altamira Director General José Rodríguez, click here.  

The Altamira Port has managed to successfully take full advantage of its favorable conditions and is now considered the No. 1 port in the country in the category of petrochemical traffic, along with the second Gulf Of Mexico port for automotive commerce and the fourth port in the country for total container traffic. According to a report from T21, the port has grown in size to operate with 4.5km of waterfront, 19 docking positions and 13 terminals. It is currently developing six new sections of waterfront and two new terminals. Its total area now covers 9,500ha, which accounts for the permanent facilities of over 75 companies, including world-class fabrication yards for global EPC giants such as McDermott (click here to read our latest interview with McDermott Mexico’s Director General Alfredo Carvallo). 

COVID-19 did not slow down the port’s frantic daily schedule, which in fact saw an increase of 121 percent in its grain traffic during the first four months of 2020, according to an official report from the port’s API. As Mexico’s deepwater oil and gas segment continues to grow, it is fair to say that Altamira has a good chance of continuing its development and success for the next 35 years.