International Container Terminal Services Inc.’s Mexican unit has secured authorization to handle deeper-draft vessels, giving its terminal at the Port of Manzanillo an edge in accommodating the world’s largest container ships.
The approval allows Contecon Manzanillo S.A. (CMSA) to receive vessels with drafts of up to 15.5 meters, making it the only terminal operator at the port with that capability.
CMSA can now serve container vessels measuring up to 400 meters and carrying as many as 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), placing the terminal in position to handle the increasingly larger ships being deployed on major international trade routes.
Shipping lines have been moving toward larger vessels to carry more cargo per voyage, reduce costs per container, and improve fuel efficiency. Ports that cannot accommodate them risk being bypassed as carriers consolidate cargo through facilities with deeper channels and larger berths.
“This authorization reflects the investments we have made to strengthen the terminal,” CMSA chief executive officer José Antonio Contreras said.
“It also marks an important step toward our goal of achieving a 17-meter operational draft at our new berths, which will allow us to accommodate larger vessels and handle higher cargo volumes,” he added.
The authorization complements dredging and basin-conditioning work being undertaken by Mexico’s National Port System Administration Manzanillo to prepare the port for deeper-draft vessels.
CMSA expanded its annual capacity to more than 1.77 million TEUs following the completion of Phase 3A in 2025. Capacity has since reached approximately 1.8 million TEUs.
The terminal is now moving ahead with Phase 3B, which will add 227 meters of quay, two quay cranes, and nine rubber-tired gantries.
Once operational, the expansion is expected to raise annual handling capacity to two million TEUs.
For ICTSI, the clearance strengthens its position in one of Mexico’s most important gateways for containerized trade. For shipping lines, it offers another facility capable of handling the supersized vessels increasingly reshaping global shipping.
The next target is even bigger. CMSA is working toward a 17-meter operational draft, which would further expand its ability to receive larger ships and capture additional cargo volumes moving through the Pacific coast.
