The following release was published by Hutchison Ports:
With an investment of more than 220 million dollars, Hutchison Ports LCT commemorates a significant milestone with the 50% expansion of the divestiture area of the Specialized Container Terminal I, located in the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán. Phase III will focus on the construction of 345 meters of wharf and will expand the area by 28.3 hectares. With this expansion, the terminal will have a total of 1,275 meters of quay and yards for 105 HA, equivalent to the size of 150 soccer fields. Additionally, the terminal with this new phase will have 25 RTG cranes and 10 QC cranes.
Currently, the port facility has a handling capacity of 1.3 million TEUs. With the projected expansion, this figure is expected to increase to a total of 2 million TEUs.
"Hutchison Ports LCT is proud to guarantee the most agile cargo clearance in the national port system, which represents greater competitiveness for users, therefore, this investment is key to consolidate the movement of containers in the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, which in the last 20 years has registered an average annual growth rate of close to 20%," said Jorge Magno Lecona, general manager for Latin America and the Caribbean of Hutchison Ports.
Due to its privileged location, the port functions as the main access to western, Bajío and central Mexico, areas that concentrate the largest consumption poles nationwide. According to figures from the National Port System Administration (Asipona) of Lázaro Cárdenas, in 2022, the port reported an 11% increase in naval arrivals, with 1,655 units, a higher number compared to the 1,489 of the previous year.
The outstanding work that Hutchison Ports has done during the last two decades has contributed to the increase in the number of containerized cargo at the port. In the first half of 2023 alone, Hutchison Ports LCT managed to break a historical record in the Port System of the Port of Lazaro Cardenas, by operating more than 800 delivery containers in an 8-hour shift, in addition to reporting a 60% increase in full import boxes, with a compliance of more than 85% of deliveries in less than two hours during the month of July.
Since 2003, the year in which Hutchison Ports obtained its partial transfer of rights contract to operate the existing terminal in the port of Lazaro Cardenas, the Terminal has managed to mobilize more than 15 million TEUs. As a result of continuous work and an operational and commercial strategy, the subsidiary has acquired the leading role of the port precinct that acts as a key link between our country and the markets of Asia-Pacific, Central and South America, and the west coast of the United States and Canada.
It is necessary to recognize the great support of the governor of Michoacan who, besides being an active promoter of the port, has dedicated great efforts and resources to improve the port's connectivity, a fundamental factor for the growth of Lazaro Cardenas.
LC's Asipona should also be singled out for its vision to improve infrastructure and management processes for the transit of goods.
In addition, the company has set a target of achieving a 45% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030. In addition, it projects an even more significant 90% reduction by 2050, thanks to the transition to clean energy sources as part of its NET ZERO strategy to reduce its carbon footprint.
Source: Hutchison Ports