Port of Lázaro Cárdenas
Encyclopedia
The Port of Lázaro Cárdenas is the largest Mexican
seaport and one of the largest seaports in the Pacific Ocean
basin, with an annual traffic capacity of around 25 million tonnes of cargo
and 2,200,000 TEU's
.
, dry bulk
, and liquid cargo
. The port handled 160,000 TEU
in 2005 but is expanding to a capacity of 2.2 million TEU annually. Cargo moves to and from the port by road and rail equally, with rail service provided exclusively by Kansas City Southern Railway
. The port is expected to become a major container facility due to congestion at the U.S.
ports of Los Angeles
and Long Beach
and its relative proximity to major cities such as Chicago
, Kansas City
, and Houston. In preparation for the port's increased capacity, railway and highway infrastructure running north-south through the center of Mexico
has been upgraded in recent years to handle the anticipated increase in volume of goods bound for the United States
using this transportation corridor. If a proposed government-backed Pacific port is built at Punta Colonet, Baja California
, goods flowing to US states like Arizona
and Nevada
could bypass the congested Los Angeles
region with closer access those markets, providing increased competition with Lázaro Cárdenas.
and 524,791 TEU's
, making the busiest cargo
port in Mexico
and one of the largest container
ports in the country.
Public terminals
Private terminals
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
seaport and one of the largest seaports in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
basin, with an annual traffic capacity of around 25 million tonnes of cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
and 2,200,000 TEU's
Twenty-foot equivalent unit
The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...
.
Description
Lázaro Cárdenas is home to a deep-water seaport that handles containerContainerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
, dry bulk
Bulk
-Industry:* Bulk cargo* Bulk liquids* Bulk mail* Bulk material handling* Bulk pack, packaged bulk materials/products* Bulk purchasing- Physics :*Bulk density*Bulk modulus...
, and liquid cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
. The port handled 160,000 TEU
Twenty-foot equivalent unit
The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...
in 2005 but is expanding to a capacity of 2.2 million TEU annually. Cargo moves to and from the port by road and rail equally, with rail service provided exclusively by Kansas City Southern Railway
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
. The port is expected to become a major container facility due to congestion at the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ports of Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
and Long Beach
Port of Long Beach
The Port of Long Beach, also known as Long Beach’s Harbor Department, is the 2nd busiest container port in the USA. It adjoins the separate Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for U.S.-Asian trade, the port occupies of land with of waterfront in the city of Long Beach, California...
and its relative proximity to major cities such as Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, and Houston. In preparation for the port's increased capacity, railway and highway infrastructure running north-south through the center of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
has been upgraded in recent years to handle the anticipated increase in volume of goods bound for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
using this transportation corridor. If a proposed government-backed Pacific port is built at Punta Colonet, Baja California
Punta Colonet, Baja California
Punta Colonet , north of San Quintín, Baja California, is one of the most productive agricultural areas in Mexico's Baja California peninsula. Its proximity to Mexican Federal Highway 1 and the United States have spurred the growth of large commercial farming in the area...
, goods flowing to US states like Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
could bypass the congested Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
region with closer access those markets, providing increased competition with Lázaro Cárdenas.
Statistics
In 2008, the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas handled 20,860,647 tonnes of cargoCargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
and 524,791 TEU's
Twenty-foot equivalent unit
The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...
, making the busiest cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
port in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and one of the largest container
Twenty-foot equivalent unit
The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...
ports in the country.
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoRo (nr of automobiles) RORO Roll-on/roll-off ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers or railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels... |
0 | 24,923 | 88,669 | 114,276 | 112,457 |
| Liquid bulk* Bulk -Industry:* Bulk cargo* Bulk liquids* Bulk mail* Bulk material handling* Bulk pack, packaged bulk materials/products* Bulk purchasing- Physics :*Bulk density*Bulk modulus... |
932,000 | 919,000 | 1,281,000 | 1,841,000 | 2,275,000 |
| Dry bulk* Bulk -Industry:* Bulk cargo* Bulk liquids* Bulk mail* Bulk material handling* Bulk pack, packaged bulk materials/products* Bulk purchasing- Physics :*Bulk density*Bulk modulus... |
10,165,000 | 12,940,000 | 13,895,000 | 11,234,000 | 5,804,000 |
| Break bulk* Bulk -Industry:* Bulk cargo* Bulk liquids* Bulk mail* Bulk material handling* Bulk pack, packaged bulk materials/products* Bulk purchasing- Physics :*Bulk density*Bulk modulus... |
2,910,000 | 2,785,000 | 2,587,000 | 2,719,000 | 1,809,000 |
| Containers (TEU's) Twenty-foot equivalent unit The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals... |
43,445 | 132,479 | 160,696 | 270,240 | 524,791 |
| Containers* Intermodal container An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system... |
323,000 | 1,030,000 | 1,159,000 | 1,544,000 | 4,240,000 |
| Total*' | 14,330,000 | 17,674,000 | 18,992,000 | 17,693,000 | 20,860,647 |
-
- figures in tonnes
Terminals
The port of Lázaro Cárdenas has both public and private terminals specialised in:Public terminals
- Grain terminalGRAINGRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
: 15064 square metres (162,147.5 sq ft) - Multi use terminalsUseUse may refer to:* Use , an obligation on a person to whom property has been conveyed* Use–mention distinction, the distinction between using a word and mentioning it...
: 62889 square metres (676,931.6 sq ft) - Container terminalContainer terminalA container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example trains or trucks, in which case the terminal is described as a maritime...
s: 634120 square metres (6,825,610.9 sq ft)
Private terminals
- Mineral terminalMineralA mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
: 60328 square metres (649,365.2 sq ft) - Fluid terminalFluidIn physics, a fluid is a substance that continually deforms under an applied shear stress. Fluids are a subset of the phases of matter and include liquids, gases, plasmas and, to some extent, plastic solids....
: 1783413 square metres (19,196,497.8 sq ft) - Coal terminalCoalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
: 1163408 square metres (12,522,819.5 sq ft) - Fertilizer terminalFertilizerFertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
: 1487381 square metres (16,010,035.8 sq ft)