Baja Ferries, founded by Mariano Ruano, a renowned maritime entrepreneur, has grown into the largest company in Baja California Sur and one of Mexico’s most promising logistics firms.
During a meeting with Nino Liaño, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, he explained how Baja Ferries has evolved into one of the country’s strongest logistics businesses, supported by a long history of entrepreneurship and strategic expansion.
The company is widely recognized for supplying the Baja California Peninsula—particularly La Paz and Los Cabos—with the goods and materials the region requires through its ferry routes connecting Topolobampo and Mazatlán with La Paz.
From a Single Ship to a Diversified Fleet
Baja Ferries was established by Mariano Ruano, who made a bold investment decades ago by purchasing a 200-meter-long vessel, anticipating the future growth of cargo transportation to the peninsula. That decision proved successful.
Today, the company operates seven vessels and has significantly diversified its revenue sources. Seven years ago, Baja Ferries began a process of institutional transformation that has since positioned it as one of Mexico’s fastest-growing logistics companies.
Transformation into BF Group
Following its rebranding as BF Group, the company has become an integrated provider of maritime, rail, and ground transportation services.
Its operations are organized into four business divisions:
- BF Connect
- BF Shipping
- Feedering
- Chartering
These divisions provide services ranging from domestic coastal shipping (cabotage) and bulk cargo transportation to connections with international maritime routes.
One of the company’s competitive advantages is its ability to offer door-to-door cargo tracking, allowing customers to monitor shipments through a single point of contact.
Promoting Coastal Shipping
According to Liaño, one of the company’s biggest challenges is encouraging customers to shift the transportation of raw materials, supplies, and merchandise from highways to maritime shipping, where greater operational efficiency and fewer logistical bottlenecks can be achieved.
For many years, companies have relied primarily on ground transportation, but that mode remains dependent on the capacity and development of highway infrastructure.
Liaño believes that coastal shipping (cabotage) offers an effective alternative, particularly when combined with inland logistics facilities such as the dry port that BF Group plans to develop in La Paz.
“Baja California will have solid growth for the next 10 to 15 years,” Liaño said.
He added that the region is experiencing significant labor shortages, a challenge the company is addressing through employee training programs and international recruitment efforts.
ANAFAM Focuses on Pharmaceutical Sovereignty During USMCA Negotiations
The National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (ANAFAM), led by Jaime López de Silanes, is actively participating in negotiations related to the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).
The association’s primary objective is to promote healthcare sovereignty as part of Plan México.
ANAFAM is advocating for stronger pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities within North America by encouraging greater regional integration. Its proposals include identifying strategic pharmaceutical inputs and establishing differentiated tariff policies for products imported from regions outside the USMCA bloc.
Source: heraldodemexico
