ASIPONA Denies Illegal Dredging at Cuyutlan Port

ASIPONA Manzanillo denies that dredging has begun in Laguna de Cuyutlan. The statement comes after some media alleged that work had begun. The controversy increases scrutiny over the Nuevo Puerto Manzanillo project, which remains subject to SEMARNAT authorization and environmental concerns.

ASIPONA Manzanillo denied that dredging works have begun in the Laguna de Cuyutlan as part of the Nuevo Puerto de Manzanillo project, after Proceso reported that machinery had entered the Vaso II area without the required environmental permits.

According to Proceso, dredging machinery entered Vaso II of the Laguna de Cuyutlan on May 21, the same day the National Port System Administration (ASIPONA) Manzanillo allegedly informed federal environmental authorities that it would begin activities related to the project. The report raised concerns among local groups and environmental organizations, which argue that the port expansion cannot move forward without an approved environmental authorization.

ASIPONA rejected the claim, stating that no dredging works are being carried out in the lagoon. The port authority says any activity linked to the Nuevo Puerto de Manzanillo will begin only once the project has all required environmental permits, including approval of the regional Environmental Impact Statement (MIA).

The Mexican Navy (SEMAR), which oversees ASIPONA, also issued a clarification stating that the machinery observed in the area was part of an internal logistics movement, not excavation or sediment-removal works. SEMAR says the equipment was being transferred from the port area in San Pedrito toward Cuyutlan as part of future project preparations.

The dispute has intensified scrutiny over one of Mexico’s most ambitious port infrastructure projects. The Nuevo Puerto Manzanillo-Cuyutlan is intended to expand the country’s main container port by developing new maritime and logistics infrastructure in the Laguna de Cuyutlan, a sensitive coastal ecosystem in Colima. In January 2025, SEMAR and the Colima government announced the start of construction dredging phase one for the project.

However, the project’s environmental process has faced repeated setbacks. In December 2025, SEMARNAT’s General Directorate for Environmental Impact and Risk (DGIRA) formally ended and archived the environmental evaluation procedure for the project under file 06CL2025V0012. The resolution meant ASIPONA would have to restart the environmental process with a new MIA-R, new technical studies, a new public consultation, and a new comprehensive evaluation if it wanted to continue.

Environmental groups argue that the project could affect the lagoon’s hydrodynamics, sediment movement, mangrove ecosystems, fishing activity, and traditional salt production. A previous report by El País described Laguna de Cuyutlan as Colima’s largest wetland and highlighted its importance for biodiversity, migratory birds, fisheries, mangroves, and local livelihoods.

The controversy places the project at the center of a broader tension between Mexico’s port-expansion needs and environmental compliance. Manzanillo remains a strategic node for Mexico’s foreign trade, but the expansion into Cuyutlan has become a flashpoint for local communities, environmental organizations, and federal authorities seeking to balance logistics capacity with ecosystem protection.

ASIPONA maintains that the project will proceed only within the legal framework established by SEMARNAT. Still, the allegations and the subsequent denial from ASIPONA and SEMAR show that the Nuevo Puerto de Manzanillo will continue to face close public and regulatory scrutiny before any major works advance in the Laguna de Cuyutlan.