Contecon Manzanillo accelerates port expansion with US$300 million investment

The Contecon Manzanillo terminal strengthened its position within Mexico’s national port system through a strategy focused on port expansion, the incorporation of specialized equipment and technological modernization, aimed at increasing operating capacity and responding to the growth of international trade in the Mexican Pacific.

As part of this process, the terminal incorporated STS gantry cranes measuring 60 meters in height, considered the tallest in the Americas. Their arrival began in 2024 and continued throughout 2025, while new units are being integrated in 2026. 

With this, the company became the first terminal on the continent to operate equipment of these dimensions, capable of serving vessels of up to 400 meters in length with higher levels of efficiency, safety and operational precision.

José Contreras, CEO of Contecon Manzanillo, stated that the terminal’s operational growth responds to the company’s commitment to modern infrastructure and sustainable technology to strengthen the country’s logistics competitiveness.

“Having reached 12 million accumulated TEUs and operating the tallest STS cranes in the Americas confirms that our commitment to modern infrastructure and sustainable technology is generating concrete results.”

New cranes and hybrid technology drive logistics capacity

The executive highlighted that the terminal currently serves large-scale vessels with greater operational agility, while advancing processes to reduce emissions through the modernization of strategic equipment such as hybrid RTG cranes.

During 2025, the terminal incorporated new hybrid RTG cranes and plans to add more units of this type, along with new STS cranes, as part of a program aimed at expanding operating capacity, optimizing operation times and strengthening international safety and sustainability standards.

The company explained that the implementation of hybrid technology stems from technical studies launched in 2023 to modernize its fleet under environmental and energy efficiency criteria. These cranes combine high-efficiency diesel engines with lithium batteries, allowing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by more than 50%, while also lowering maintenance costs.

“Having state-of-the-art facilities and machinery raises our competitiveness and directly drives the growth of foreign trade and the country’s economic development,” Contreras said.

Contecon Manzanillo accelerates investments to expand yards and docks

The terminal’s environmental commitment is supported by ISO 14064 Carbon Neutral certification, focused on processes for measuring, reducing and offsetting emissions within its logistics operations.

Since 2023, Contecon Manzanillo has allocated more than US$300 million to its port expansion plan corresponding to phases 3A and 3B, aimed at expanding yards, docks and specialized equipment. As part of this project, the company began operations of new container yards covering nearly 12 hectares.

The terminal has accumulated investment of US$900 million, resources that have allowed it to increase its operational and commercial capacity, while phase 4 of the project already includes new investments focused on consolidating the company’s growth targets.

As a result of this strategy, at the beginning of 2026 the terminal reached a historic accumulated total of 12 million TEUs moved since the start of operations, positioning itself in first place nationally in import and export container volume.

The company noted that strengthening modern, efficient and sustainable port infrastructure has become a key element to increasing national logistics capacity and responding to the new needs of foreign trade and global supply chains.