MAERSK group's APM Terminals is building a new container facility in Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico's biggest port by overall tonnage, on the Pacific coast, reports SeaTrade Global.
Lazaro Cardenas has Hong Kong's Hutchison Port Holdings Terminal as its major box handler and Maersk's APM Terminals is building its own US$900 million terminal there.
Seven years ago, there were fears of LA-Long Beach port congestion and that Lazaro Cardenas was supposed to be the safety valve through which diverted cargo would flow via Kansas City Southern railway to the US Midwest.
With the world economic downturn, LA congestion did not materialise until this year, this time brought about by panicky early shipping sparked by retailer fears of west coast labour disruption combined with a lack of chassis and aggravated new mega ships dumping masses of cargo all at once.
Nonetheless, Lazaro Cardenas did well in the interim from trade serving the increasing affluent metropolitan area of Mexico City with its 21.1 million people.
In 2012, APM Terminals signed a 32-year concession for the design, construction and operation of a new deepwater terminal at the port of Lazaro Cardenas.
The first phase of the construction, which has already begun, of Terminal 2 (TEC2) will include 750 metres of quay, five ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, 22 automatic stacking cranes and two railway cranes, and will be able to accommodate very large container vessels.
The first 300 metres of quay are scheduled to be ready in the first quarter of 2015, which will be followed by the installation of the container handling equipment.
"The completed terminal, which will add 1.2 million TEU of annual capacity, is projected to become operational in the first half 2016," said APM Terminals.
The government of Mexico intends to double port capacity over six years, but many port operators wonder if cargo volume will increase accordingly.
Mexico is the second largest economy in Latin America, and third largest container throughput in the region.
Mexican ports dominated by Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas on Mexico's Pacific Coast, totalled 4.87 million TEU in 2013.
Manzanillo, which is Mexico's largest container port, handled 2.1 million TEU in 2013 against Lazaro Cardenas 1.05 million TEU.
PORTS
14 October 2014 - 20:30
Work progresses on APMT Lazaro Cardenas port rivals Hutchison's shop
MAERSK group's APM Terminals is building a new container facility in Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico's biggest port by overall tonnage, on the Pacific coast, reports SeaTrade Global.
PORTS
14 October 2014 - 20:30
Work progresses on APMT Lazaro Cardenas port rivals Hutchison's shop
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