Mexican ports had the best year in their history in 2021 in terms of container throughput handling 7,855,715 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) which, compared with the 6,461,476 TEU recorded in 2020, represents an increase of 21.6%; even up 10.5% versus 2019, when they surpassed the 7.1 million barrier for the first time.

According to statistics from the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), imports amounted to 3,979,665 containers, which translates into an increase of 23.4% compared with 3,224,806 in 2020; while exports totaled 3,870,835 TEU, up 19.8% from 3,231,715 units year over year.

Of the total TEU handled, 71.5% corresponded to full units carrying goods, that is, a total of 5,619,771, which in turn means an increase of 24.5% versus 4,514,57 full containers in 2020; while empty containers, which represent 28.5% of the total, amounted to 2,235,944, up 14.8% from the previous 1,946,903 TEU.

Based on the figures compiled by Semar’s General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM), the ports of the Pacific handled a total of 5,557,837 TEU, that is, 24.6% more than the 4,461,144 reached in 2020.

The port of Manzanillo transferred 3,371,438 TEU (+15.9%); Lázaro Cárdenas 1,686,076 TEU (+58.5%); Ensenada 394,911 TEU (+2.6%); Mazatlán 41,895 TEU (+0.5%); Puerto Chiapas 41,352 TEU (-2.2%); Guaymas 15,695 TEU (-1.2%); Salina Cruz 3,176 TEU (+0.3%); and Pichilingue a single movement of 3,294 units.

On the other hand, the ports of the Gulf of Mexico reached a total of 2,297,878 containers in 2021, which represents an increase of 14.9% compared with the 2,000,332 TEU of 2020, according to Semar figures.

Veracruz moved 1,165,043 TEU (+15.8%); Altamira 885,457 TEU (+16.3%); Progreso 153,880 TEU (+4.3%); Tuxpan 53,956 TEU (+32.3%); Tampico 16,729 TEU (+9.2%); Coatzacoalcos 16,404 TEU (-31.5%); Puerto Morelos 6,222 TEU (20.5%); and Dos Bocas with a single movement of 187 TEU.