Mexican Port News

A diesel cargo sent by Mexico's state-run Pemex [was] due to arrive in Cuba's Havana port on Monday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and sources, after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised humanitarian aid to the Communist-run island, [Reuters reported Monday.]The Jose Maria Morelos II, a tanker owned and managed by a Pemex unit, is on its way to the Caribbean island after Mexico's left-leaning government last week announced it would send two humanitarian shipments, including food and diesel, to Cuba.Authorities in Havana have long said that a decades-old U.S. embargo on Cuba has caused widespread hardship on the island, where thousands took to the streets this month in protests.

Hamburg Süd christened the “Polar Mexico” container ship in the Mexican port of Veracruz on the weekend.The sponsor of the “Polar Mexico” is Claudia Dávila, wife of Carlos Ayala, Logistics and Distribution Director of Alpek Polyester, which is a subsidiary of the Alfa Group, one of the largest corporate groups in Mexico.The Mexican economy is strong in the fruit sector as well as in other industries with high import and export volumes, such as automobile manufacturing, chemicals and brewing.

Mexican port security officials have undergone training on complying with International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS Code). Forty participants took part in the workshop in Manzanillo, Mexico (16-20 October), focusing on the practise of self-assessing compliance with regulations under the Code that apply to port facilities. The workshop included theoretical lessons, presentations on self-assessment processes and techniques, practical exercises, role playing and a visit to a port facility in Manzanillo. The event is part of a series of activities coordinated with the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) following the reorganization of maritime security responsibilities in Mexico this year.

Leading Mexican maritime operator, Grupo TMM, has signed a Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance with Damen Shipyards Group for a 70 tonne bollard pull ASD Tug 3212 named TMM COLIMA. The tug will operate in the Mexican port of Manzanillo on the Pacific Coast. Ongoing port modifications and changes in port authority requirements were the driving force behind the deal. Founded in 1958, Grupo TMM has become one of the largest integrated logistics and transportation companies in Mexico. The group provides a dynamic combination of specialized maritime services, port and terminal management and integrated logistics services to an extensive Mexican and international client base.

The cruise ship, disabled by an engine room fire, will probably be towed to Mobile,  AL. Carnival Triumph was originally intended for towage to the Mexican port of Progreso, however after drifting through currents in the Gulf of Mexico, she is expected to dock instead in Mobile. Some power has been restored including the freshwater system, which is back up and operational. Additionally, the sewage system has been restored to the forward section of the ship but is still down in the after part.

The Port of Houston Authority has won a first place 2011 Gulf Guardian Award for a far-reaching project to reduce emissions in the Gulf. The Port Authority and its partners, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Office of International Affairs, the Mexican government, including the State of Veracruz, SEMARNAT (Mexico's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources) and PEMEX (Mexico's state-owned petroleum company), Maersk Line and Hamburg Süd, won the award in the Bi-National category. Established in 2000, the Gulf Guardian awards were developed by the EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program Partnership to recognize and honor the businesses, community groups, individuals and agencies that are taking positive steps to keep the Gulf healthy, beautiful and productive.

LOS ANGELES, March 15, 2011 – Amidst increased reports of violence in the Mexican port town of Mazatlán, Crystal Cruises is canceling its scheduled April 4 visit there on Crystal Symphony. The roundtrip Los Angeles “Treasures of Mexico” voyage will now adjust its itinerary to allow guests more time in other ports-of-call. The new schedule switches travel days so that guests will now have an overnight call in popular Cabo San Lucas, with Crystal being the only cruise line in port for those two days. Subsequent days will provide travelers with a full day in Loreto, and a half day in La Paz.

Evergreen Line will adjust its weekly transit times on its Far East - Panama service (FPS), to improve the service it offers to its customers in Central America, the Caribbean and the West Coast of South America.   The company has reduced the transit time from its Taiwanese hub, Kaohsiung to the Mexican port of Lazaro Cardenas from 23 to 16 days. The transit time from Shanghai to the Caribbean hub, Colon Container Terminal, is now 25 days.   The FPS service port rotation is now: Ningbao – Shanghai – Yangtian – Kaohsiung – Lazaro Cardenas – Colon Container Terminal - Ningbao   The first sailing operating with the revised schedule will be served by the 2,824 TEU ‘Irenes Remedy 0046-036’, which is due to start loading in Shanghai on 16 April 2009.

A teenager whose appendix ruptured at sea, hundreds of miles from help, got safely to shore Tuesday after an unusual rescue in which the Navy airlifted her from a cruise ship for emergency surgery. Laura Montero, 14, fell ill aboard the Dawn Princess cruise ship off the coast of Baja California. The Bahamian-registered ship sent out a distress call Friday that was answered by the USS Ronald Reagan, which was on training maneuvers about 500 miles away. The Reagan, a nuclear carrier, was the closest ship with a hospital facility, according to a news release from the Navy. A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises, which operates the Dawn Princess, said the ship's captain called the Coast Guard for help because he felt that would be faster than diverting to the nearest Mexican port.

The Port of Los Angeles became the top U.S. international freight gateway by shipment value in 2003, according to a soon to be released report from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. America’s Freight Transportation Gateways shows that Los Angeles’ water port handled $17 billion in export trade and $105 billion in imports, totaling $122 billion in business handled by the port. Los Angeles handled $10 billion more than the $112 billion in freight that moved through JFK International Airport, now the second-ranked international freight gateway in 2003. JFK held the number one position on the list of international freight gateways since 1999, but was overtaken by the Port of Los Angeles last year.