Manzanillo, (Reuters) .- A massive expansion of the largest maritime port in Mexico is underway while the authorities are committed to positive economic growth and the strength of global trade, despite the gloomy panorama generated by the commercial wars of President Donald Trump.
The Government of Claudia Sheinbaum aims to transform the port of Manzanillo into the most active in Latin America, capable of processing about 10 million 20 -foot containers (6.1 meters), according to the Mexican Navy, which manages the installation.
It is already the largest port in Mexico and the third largest in Latin America, managing almost 4 million 20 -foot containers in 2024.
The multimillionaire expansion of the port is one of the main infrastructure projects of Sheinbaum. The investment is part of Mexico’s efforts to face the economic recession, since Trump’s trade wars have generated generalized financial uncertainty.
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Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund drastically cut its growth forecasts for most countries. This included Mexico, whose economic growth will contract 0.3% in 2025 due to the impact of US tariffs on exports.
Sheinbaum questioned the IMF prognosis by stating that public investment would avoid economic contraction and promoted the “Mexico Plan” of his government, an effort to boost the national industry.
The success of this plan is based, in part, on the modernization of the country’s ports, such as Manzanillo, according to a government document published earlier this month.
In Manzanillo, American tariffs have not stopped trade, according to Julieta Juárez Ochoa, port marketing manager.
He added that most imports that arrive in Manzanillo come from Asia and are mainly allocated to national manufacturing.
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“We see no real impact (of American tariffs), and we do not foresee a significant impact,” he said.
The extension will increase Manzanillo’s capacity for containing load management and hydrocarbon products, he said.
It is expected to be finished by the end of Sheinbaum’s mandate in 2030, he added.
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