Manzanillo Sets Course for a Major Port Expansion Through 2030

Manzanillo is preparing for one of the most significant port infrastructure projects in Mexico in recent years, with an expansion plan that would reshape its logistics capacity and reinforce its role in Pacific trade.

During The Logistics World Summit & Expo 2026 in Mexico City, Vice Admiral José Ignacio Moreno Díaz, Director of ASIPONA Manzanillo, outlined the scope of the project, which is expected to be developed between 2026 and 2030. The expansion will focus on Nuevo Manzanillo, in the Cuyutlán Lagoon area, and is designed to substantially increase the port’s operating scale.

A project designed to triple container movement

At the center of the plan is a significant increase in handling capacity. According to ASIPONA Manzanillo, the Nuevo Manzanillo project will make it possible to triple container throughput, strengthening the port’s ability to respond to growing cargo volumes and rising pressure on supply chains.

That expansion is particularly relevant given Manzanillo’s role as Mexico’s leading commercial port and one of the top three ports on the Latin American Pacific coast. In practical terms, the project would reinforce one of the country’s most strategic trade gateways.

A larger operating footprint for a more complex logistics platform

The scale of the expansion is substantial. The project would increase the port’s operating area from 450 hectares to more than 1,880 hectares, creating room for a more robust logistics platform with added specialized infrastructure.

The new development is expected to include staging yards, rail corridors, specialized terminals, and complementary works, all of which point to a broader effort to modernize operations rather than simply add capacity. This matters because logistics competitiveness today depends not only on size, but on the ability to move cargo with greater predictability and lower friction.

Efficiency, reliability, and stronger supply chains

According to Moreno Díaz, the project is intended to bring multiple operational benefits, including greater fluidity in port operations, shorter vessel wait times, and stronger reliability across logistics chains.

Those improvements would have implications well beyond the port itself. For companies that depend on Pacific maritime trade, more efficient operations in Manzanillo could translate into stronger planning capacity, improved cargo flows, and better integration with inland transport and distribution networks.

The project is also expected to support new investment, job creation, and broader economic development at both the regional and national levels.

A phased expansion with continuity in mind

One of the most relevant elements of the plan is its implementation timeline. The expansion is expected to take place gradually between 2026 and 2030, allowing ASIPONA to maintain port continuity while incorporating new logistics capacity in stages.

That phased approach is important for a port of Manzanillo’s scale, where uninterrupted operations are critical not only for local performance, but for national trade flows. The objective is to expand without undermining the reliability that existing users depend on.

Reinforcing Manzanillo’s position on the Pacific

The broader aim of the project is to increase installed capacity, improve efficiency, and provide greater logistics certainty for national and international supply chains. In that sense, the expansion goes beyond infrastructure: it is part of a larger effort to keep Manzanillo at the center of Mexico’s maritime trade strategy.

If developed as projected, Nuevo Manzanillo would help consolidate the port as one of the most modern, efficient, and competitive port complexes in the Pacific, reinforcing Mexico’s logistics leadership in international maritime commerce.