maritime connectivity / conectividad marÍtima
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Mexico’s shipping connectivity and the role of Manzanillo Conectividad marítima de México y el papel de Manzanillo
M
exico ranks 29th among the 132 countries making up the Unctad 2011 Liner Shipping
Connectivity Index, which is based on several variables, such as number of ships, total capacity in teu, number of services and companies. In recent years, Mexico and Brazil have made great progress in the connectivity index. In the case of Mexico, this was made possible by improvements to, and growth of, the Port of Manzanillo. The index recorded for Mexico a growth of 43 per cent as compared with 2004, date when the report was initiated.
frequencies With reference to the number of ships, API’s statistics show that 1,362 containerships called in 2011. In terms of volume, the port increased by 16.6 per cent the number of teu moved, compared with one year before. Over the past year, new container liners have joined the list of the port’s clients: Evergreen, COSCO, WanHai, and Pacific International Lines. In the latter part of 2011 a new container terminal
The distance between Manzanillo, Mexico and US
operator, ICTSI, joined the list of Manzanillo’s concession
cities through the Logistic Intermodal Corridors is
holders, opening up the opportunity for more shipping
shorter than is the case of other Pacific ports such as
lines and large deepsea vessels to call at the port, and for
Ensenada. From San Antonio, Texas, to Manzanillo,
a wider offer of services, lines and frequencies.
the distance is of 1,913 km, compared with 2,111 km to Ensenada.
network
In addition, the existing rail network offers port users
Manzanillo enjoys an excellent connectivity not only
other alternatives to move their cargo between
by sea, but also by land. Eight of its 10 municipalities
Manzanillo and any destination inside or outside Mexico.
have four-lane highways, and the road network interconnecting the cities of the state of Colima
The distance between the Port of Manzanillo and
extends over 984 km, positioning Colima as one of
major consumer centers such as Guadalajara is 300
the best connected states in Mexico, both nationally
km by road and 355 km by railway; to Mexico City it
and internationally.
is 791 km by road and 960 km by rail; to Monterrey, 1,086 km by road and 1,380 km by rail; to Altamira,
The State of Colima is integrated with the national and
1,095 km by road and 1,372 km by rail.
international communications networks. In addition, it is an integral part of the multimodal NASCO corridor,
• Communication with the country’s entire roadway
which joins it with the United States and Canada.
network by means of the Manzanillo-Guadalajara