Port Volumes Remains Flat, But Container Trade Gains Momentum

Mexico’s ports opened 2026 with cargo volumes flat, but container throughput rose 8.8% to 797,906 TEU. After 2025 cargo fell 8.8%, early 2026 signals stabilization, even as Manzanillo congestion lifts logistics costs up to 20%, COMCE warns.

Mexico’s port system began 2026 with stable overall cargo volumes but stronger container activity, underscoring how trade flows are tilting toward higher value, time-sensitive freight even as bulk volumes and export tonnage face pressure.

In January 2026, Mexico’s ports handled 19.21 million t, a 0.1% year-on-year decline. Within foreign trade, imports totaled 9.8 million t, a 3.8% contraction, while exports reached 5.04 million t, a 21.6% drop, pointing to a softer export start to the year.

The strongest signal in the month’s data was containerized trade as container throughput rose 8.8% to 797,906 TEU in January 2026, indicating healthier liner-driven flows despite flat aggregate tonnage.

Containers tend to track manufacturing inputs, consumer goods, and higher-frequency supply chains, segments that have remained resilient as companies continue rebalancing inventories and sourcing under a more volatile trade environment.

For finished-vehicle maritime traffic, Mexico moved 137,225 units in January 2026, up 16.9% from a year earlier. Ports with the biggest jumps included:

• Veracruz: 46,884 units (up 65.0%), the largest increase in absolute volume among major gateways

• Mazatlan: 22,646 units (up 146.9%), one of the sharpest percentage gains, largely driven by imports

Not every auto port reported gains; Lazaro Cardenas fell to 44,559 units (a 17.3% contraction) and Altamira edged down to 23,136 (a 3.8% contraction), highlighting how shipping networks and operational constraints are reshaping where volumes land. 

Port of Manzanillo Performance

Even with a system-wide cargo flat, Manzanillo continues to anchor Mexico’s container trade. The port closed 2025 as Mexico’s leading container hub with 3.89 million TEU, supported by high volumes at major terminals including SSA Marine Mexico (1.65 million TEU) and Contecon Manzanillo (1.55 million TEU), plus Terminal TIMSA (356,243 TEU) and Ocupa (343,357 TEU). 

That scale carried into 2026. Manzanillo handled more than 354,000 TEU in January 2026 (about 8% growth year-on-year), alongside 2.48 million t of cargo (a 8.5% increase). 

The operational challenge is that Manzanillo’s demand is now colliding with real limits in yard space, truck turn times, and landside flow. COMCE has warned that delays at Manzanillo are raising logistics costs by up to 20%, disrupting supply chains and pushing some shippers to reroute cargo while the market works through near-term fixes, MBN reports.

In response, capacity is starting to build beyond the gate. Hutchison Ports TIMSA is investing US$40.16 million in a 15,000-TEU off-dock yard, including electric RTGs, aimed at reducing congestion and lowering logistics costs by expanding container handling and staging capacity outside the port’s tight footprint.

How January 2026 Stacks up Against 2025

In 2025, Mexican ports handled 248.7 million t, an 8.8% decline year-on-year, according to the MBN recap of official port data. The January 2026 result (19.21 million tons, a 0.1% contraction) points to a clear slowdown in the rate of contraction compared with last year’s full-year drop, suggesting port volumes may be bottoming out or at least entering a more stable phase, even if the mix of cargo is still shifting.

At the same time, containers have remained the most resilient lane across both periods. In 2025, container traffic reached 9.53 million TEU (broadly stable despite the tonnage drop), while January 2026 also showed strength in boxes, with container throughput up 8.8% to 797,906 TEU.  

The divergence between freight and tourism is now a defining theme in port performance. While cargo fell in 2025, cruise passenger traffic rose 12% to about 11.18 million passengers, reinforcing that Mexico’s port system is simultaneously managing a logistics cycle under pressure and a tourism cycle that is expanding.