Marco Antonio Sansores Ramírez, president of the Association of Customs Agents of the Port of Veracruz (AAAVER), announced that during March, Veracruz surpassed the port of Manzanillo in cargo volume handled, something that had not happened since September 2024.
In this regard, I have detailed that Veracruz registered a total of 2,876,868 tons, while Manzanillo handled 2,673,063 tons, a 7.62% difference in favor of Veracruz.
In the first quarter, however, Manzanillo handled 7.657 million tons, reflecting a drop of 8.02% compared to the 8.324 million tons handled in the same period in 2024. This result demonstrates a progressive recovery, considering that in previous months the negative difference was 19.4%.
Port of Veracruz Throughput Figures for 2025
In monthly terms, March showed significant growth compared to February, with an increase of 40.77%, rising from 2.043 billion tons to 2.876 billion. Among the different types of cargo, general loose cargo was the only item with positive growth in the first quarter, increasing from 397,481 tons in 2024 to 483,588 tons in 2025, equivalent to an increase of 21.66%.
In addition, among the main types of cargo, significant variations were recorded from February to March: mineral bulk grew 196.15%, agricultural bulk increased 35.82%, and vehicle cargo showed an increase of 33.85%.
I have mentioned that the Port of Veracruz continues to show progress in its recovery and growth in various aspects of its operations. In March 2025, 2,876,868 tons were handled, representing a 6% increase compared to the same month in 2024, when 2,714,010 tons were handled.
The RCC Africa vessel and its cargo are part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor (CIIT) operation.
Sansores Ramírez emphasized that the cumulative volume for the first quarter of 2025 reached 7.155 billion tons, although it is still 10.84% below the 8.025 billion tons moved during the same period in 2024.
“Trade uncertainties and tariffs have already stabilized to some extent, which allowed us to have a good month. We constantly compete with the port of Manzanillo, and this month, after six months, we managed to position ourselves as the port with the highest volume of cargo handled nationwide, which is an excellent sign,” said Sansores Ramírez.
Tariffs implemented by Donald Trump: How do they affect Veracruz?
Despite the impacts generated by US economic policies and the tariff measures implemented by former President Donald Trump, which affected sectors such as the automotive sector, the recovery observed in March indicates that, with the reduction of these uncertainties and the stabilization of the market, the port could reach higher operating levels in the coming months.
The Third World War
“In the automotive sector, which has been one of the most affected, a gradual recovery has been observed in recent months. In March, 61,715 units were handled, of which 22,869 were imports and 38,846 were exports. Although this figure is still 12.75% lower than the 70,736 units operated in March 2024, it is important to note that it shows a recovery trend when compared to the 28,410 vehicles moved in January and the 50,157 in February,” he said.
Source: oem
