SEMAR Sets Rules to Coordinate Isthmus Logistics Platform

SEMAR issues new coordination rules for the Isthmus of Tehuantepec logistics platform, aiming to integrate ports, railways, cargo operations, digital systems, and security protocols across the corridor. The framework seeks to strengthen multimodal transport and improve coordination among CIIT, FIT, and the ASIPONAS of Coatzacoalcos, Salina Cruz, Dos Bocas, and Puerto Chiapas.

The Mexican Navy (SEMAR) published new interinstitutional coordination guidelines to consolidate, operate, and develop the infrastructure of the Multimodal Logistics Platform of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, advancing the federal government’s effort to integrate ports, railways, roads, and development hubs across southeastern Mexico.

The guidelines, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) on June 2, establish the coordination framework for the entities that make up the platform: the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), the National Port System Administrations (ASIPONAS) of Coatzacoalcos, Salina Cruz, Dos Bocas, and the Port of Chiapas, and Istmo de Tehuantepec Railway (FIT).

The document explains that SEMAR will oversee coordination as the sector authority, while CIIT will serve as the coordinating body for the implementation of the logistics platform. The framework seeks to align infrastructure planning, operational processes, financing, reporting, and intermodal connectivity among the participating entities.

The guidelines define the platform’s area of influence as the zone extending 10km on each side of the FIT railway lines and any other rail line concessioned to the company. They also establish that the platform is intended to support the movement of goods and people across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, strengthen regional connectivity, and contribute to economic development through port, rail, and road infrastructure.

The publication builds on previous federal decrees that positioned the CIIT as a multimodal logistics project designed to connect the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. The corridor integrates the ports of Coatzacoalcos, Salina Cruz, Dos Bocas, and Chiapas through railway infrastructure operated by FIT, while also linking the logistics platform with Development Poles for Well-being.

The new rules also align with the National Development Plan 2025-2030, the SEMAR Sectoral Program 2025-2030, and the institutional programs of CIIT, FIT, and the participating ASIPONAS. These instruments identify the corridor as part of Mexico’s broader strategy to expand intermodal transport, improve freight and passenger mobility, and strengthen port and rail infrastructure.

According to the DOF document, the platform’s objectives include consolidating the provision of services among the participating ports, coordinating freight and passenger mobility in the region, improving the use of financial, material, and human resources, and modernizing port, rail, and road infrastructure. The framework also seeks to optimize the operational capacities of CIIT, ASIPONAS, and FIT.

The guidelines instruct the participating entities to define priority, strategic, main, and additional infrastructure works, as well as the resources needed for execution. They also call for tracking physical and financial progress, preparing supervision reports, addressing financial issues, managing social conflicts, and coordinating support from federal entities involved in the platform.

SEMAR will coordinate matters related to security and surveillance connected to the platform. The document also calls for protocols to protect people, goods, vehicles, infrastructure, and data across maritime, rail, and land transport modes.

The rules call for the implementation of digital port, rail, and road management systems to support traceability, arrival scheduling, and cargo dispatch. They also establish the need to standardize operating procedures among the platform’s entities to ensure logistics continuity across the Isthmus region.

For ASIPONAS, the guidelines require the availability of rail yards connected to port terminals and the exchange of operational data on arrivals, departures, cargo, and times. Ports must also adopt and integrate the Secure Smart Port Platform, which must be compatible and interoperable with FIT’s rail systems. The document clarifies that this does not require the creation of a single joint technology platform, but rather secure and standardized communication between systems.

The rules also establish that ASIPONAS must inform CIIT about port service performance, income and expenditure related to the platform, financial and operating conditions, and any additional information requested by the sector authority. Ports must also provide weekly cargo schedules to FIT so that routes and available capacity can be confirmed. Dedicated trains may be established for preferred routes tied to strategic operations.

The DOF document defines priority cargo as cargo with an interoceanic origin and destination that is linked to the Development Poles for Well-being, as well as energy, perishable, health-related, or emergency cargo.

FIT, as the entity responsible for rail interconnection, will promote public-private investment for the modernization and expansion of railway infrastructure across the Isthmus and its area of influence. It must also report to CIIT on railway service performance, income and expenditure, financial and operating conditions, and management evaluations.

The guidelines state that actions derived from the framework will be implemented using the authorized budgets of each participating entity. Any additional resource requirements must be processed through formal programming, budgeting, adjustment, or investment registration procedures.

The publication comes as the federal government continues to position the CIIT as a strategic logistics and industrial development project. MBN previously reported that the corridor’s terrestrial influence covers Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Chiapas, while its maritime component connects the four ports included in the new guidelines. The project also integrates railway lines and Development Poles for Well-being aimed at attracting industrial activity in sectors such as automotive, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, metals, logistics, agroindustry, and manufacturing.