Manzanillo Delays Raise Logistics Costs Up to 20%: COMCE

Operational delays at the Port of Manzanillo are still rippling through supply chains months after a customs workers’ stoppage in May 2025, according to the Mexican Council for Foreign Trade (COMCE) in Western Mexico. Importers and exporters are facing longer clearance times, higher storage and demurrage charges, and growing uncertainty over when cargo will actually leave the port. 

Miguel Ángel Landeros, President, COMCE Occidente, told El Economista that companies have been forced to absorb logistics overruns of up to 20% due to prolonged dwell times and persistent inefficiencies in customs operations. Those added costs, he warns, ultimately filter into final prices and erode competitiveness, pushing some shippers to reroute cargo through alternative ports because Manzanillo has become less predictable. 

May 2025 Disruptions

While the May 2025 work stoppage was an acute trigger, industry voices argue that the episode exposed deeper structural constraints. MBN previously reported that even after customs activities partially resumed, the aftereffects were still visible weeks later, with congestion and processing delays continuing to disrupt national and international flows. 

In El Economista’s reporting, COMCE Occidente emphasizes that Manzanillo has the physical capacity to handle the cargo it receives, but that the bottleneck is increasingly tied to staffing and operational throughput at customs. Landeros calls for authorities to expand personnel and increase flexibility with importers to restore speed in dispatching goods. 

MBN also framed the issue as a competitiveness challenge for the broader export ecosystem. During the 2025 disruption, INDEX Occidente warned that delayed or incomplete normalization could translate into losses of up to US$150 million, affecting government revenue, logistics providers, terminal operators, and exporters. 

As congestion accumulated, terminal operators implemented short-term measures to accelerate container delivery and reduce yard pressure. MBN reported that some terminals extended delivery hours and introduced incentives to speed inspections and container movements, temporary relief designed to keep cargo flowing while systemic issues remained unresolved. 

Manzanillo’s role has expanded as Mexico’s industrial base deepens its links with Asia and as manufacturers move cargo inland to the Bajío and the central corridor. In that context, reliability at the port is not simply a maritime issue; it is a constraint for factories, retail supply chains, and cross-border trade. MBN reported that Mexico is pursuing a major expansion of Manzanillo to increase capacity dramatically over the coming years, underscoring how strategically central the port has become to national growth plans. 

Private Investment Looks to Ease Pressure Points

Against that backdrop, companies are investing in “off-dock” solutions meant to create breathing room outside terminal gates. In December 2025, A.P. Moller–Maersk inaugurated a new logistics depot in Manzanillo, backed by an investment of over US$15 million (MX$259 million), positioned roughly five kilometers from the port. 

Maersk described the depot as a way to reduce first- and last-mile friction, improve cargo handoffs, and support more predictable inland flows, particularly important in a high-volume port where truck idling, equipment availability, and container sequencing can quickly become chokepoints. 

According to the company, the 31,000m² site includes capacity for 6,018 TEUs, 50 reefer plugs, and 60 repair positions, supporting both dry and refrigerated cargo while adding services such as shunting, transloading, and equipment maintenance. 

While infrastructure like this does not “solve” customs throughput, it can help smooth peaks, reduce congestion at the gate, and improve operational resilience for shippers managing inventory timing.

Ports Under Pressure As Tourism Rises

Manzanillo’s challenges are part of a wider port environment in which performance is uneven across cargo types. MBN reported that Mexican ports handled 248.7 million tons in 2025, led by Manzanillo with 29.8 million t, down 8.8%, while container traffic held steady at 9.53 million TEUs and cruise passengers rose 12% to 11.18 million. 

That contrast matters: container resilience highlights Mexico’s ongoing manufacturing and trade demand, while the cruise rebound points to growing tourism momentum. But the overall decline in maritime tonnage also reinforces why efficiency and reliability at the country’s top gateways are increasingly important.

Competitiveness at stake in 2026

The Manzanillo backlog lands at a time when Mexico is trying to position itself as a stable platform for investment amid global volatility. Juan Navarro, President, CMX Partnerships and Consulting Inc. writes for MBN that Mexico’s upside depends heavily on strengthening North American integration and executing on infrastructure, particularly through public-private coordination, so that trade corridors can keep pace with shifting supply chains. 

“While the expansion of the Port of Manzanillo represents a meaningful step forward, it remains insufficient given the accumulated infrastructure gap. Key challenges include limited maritime connectivity, a small national merchant fleet, and weak integration into global maritime transport networks. These constraints increase dependence on foreign shipping companies, raise trade costs, and reduce value capture along the logistics chain. Strengthening port infrastructure and the national maritime sector is therefore essential to improving Mexico’s competitiveness,” says Navarro.